e Yugoslavia

Beirut – Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman headed Thursday to Damscus for talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al Assad, three days after the formation of a Lebanese national unity cabinet.

Maaroub, Lebanon  – The case of a group of southern Lebanese villagers who lost their life savings to a man billed as the country’s version of US swindler Bernie Madoff is starting to prove uncomfortable for Hezbollah, a militant group that is also one of the country’s major parties.

Beirut – A previously unknown group, with reported links to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for last week’s rocket attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon, Lebanese radio reports said Monday.

Beirut  – Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will start parliamentary consultations to nominate a new prime minister on September 15 and 16, an official source said Friday.

Beirut  – Lebanon’s Western-backed majority parties celebrated Sunday after winning a crucial parliamentary election that pitted them against the Hezbollah-led opposition.

Beirut  – Having the right family has been a key to reaching high-ranking positions in Lebanon’s government throughout the country’s political history.

Beirut – The head of the European Union’s 90-man election observation team in Lebanon, which is taking up its duties for this Sunday’s parliamentary election, has said that he hopes the presence of his team will boost the transparency of the upcoming poll.

Beirut  – Michel Aoun, polyglot former military commander and mainstay of the Lebanese Christian community, is running for reform, with his Free Patriotic Party, in Sunday’s parliamentary election.

Beirut  – Saad Hariri, second son and political heir to late Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, has vowed to deliver national unity if his Future Movement is returned to power in Sunday’s parliamentary election.

Beirut  – The complexity of the Lebanese electoral system, coupled with the lack of reliable, independent polls, make it difficult to predict the outcome of Sunday’s parliamentary vote.