Time shown on the left is the local time in Beirut, Lebanon
There is a lot of speculation in the Media that the cabinet will be formed by Friday and this will be followed by preparing the plan and rushing to the parliament to get the vote of confidence .
The security issue has become equally important to the extent that many leaders are now more concerned about security issues than the formation of the cabinet and want it to be on top of the dialogue agenda.
Thursday
23:37 "Voice of Lebanon": Lebanese army patrols carried out night raids in the Basta, tareeq el jadeedah and Nueri areas in search of suspects in the clashes that took place in these areas causing problems in these areas
23:09 Mikhail Dahir tells "LBC:" The parliamentary consultation for government formation and the proposed nominations by the adversaries comes in the framework of the political game.
22:15 Gen. Aoun today met a delegation from the Free Patriotic Movement cadres at the Royal Hotel - Dhbiya briefed them on the next stage following the government formation and instructed them how to prepare for the forthcoming parliamentary elections
21:11, An unknown person/s set a perfume shop on fire in the al Masnaa area, near the Lebanese - Syrian border crossing
21:08 "future Movement " will hold a demonstration to mark the anniversary of the assassination of MP Walid Eido
20:56 "Opposition Political parties ": called for speeding up the formation of the government warned the majority against instigating and exploiting incidents
20:00 First lady Mrs. Suleiman said after receiving Mrs. Joyce Gemayel at the Republican palace: We hope that current and future actions will reinforce the original Lebanese values
18:52 Siniora said from Ain el Tineh after meeting with Berri: I briefed Speaker Berri on the progress of the government formation . The Lebanese will be pleased once we announce the composition of the cabinet. Berri and I agree that we are on the right track to concluding this mission
18:00 Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is currently meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri at his mansion in Ein el Tineh
17:19 Earthquake in Nabatiyah- National News Agency representative Samer Wehbe has reported that about 4 PM today an earthquake struck the Nabatiyah area and lasted 4 seconds . No casualties were reported .
According to Bhannes center, the Magnitude of the earthquake was 4.00 on the Richter Scale and its epicenter was the village of Sarifa in south Lebanon
15:52 NNA : The Lebanon Electricity Company announced in a statement that it began unloading the two fuel tankers in the al-Zahrani power plant , after the sea has calmed down
15:30 Karami: After the Doha agreement we all have responsibilities for the salvation of Lebanon and the formation of the government, which is a key step towards the ultimate solution. We are witnessing the maneuvers by both teams to improve their political positions
15:15 army dismantled 2 explosive devices on the road to Abda , four kilometers from the Syrian-Lebanese borders
14:14: Eastern Christian denominations declared after meeting with Gen. Aoun: We demand the transfer of our parliament seat from the third district to the first of Beirut
14:02 Geagea: The opposition group will not stop blackmailing until they seize power . They are trying to obtain political gains beyond what was agreed at Doha accord
13:20 UN chief Ban Ki-moon tells "Al Arabiyeh": Preparation for the International Tribunal is progressing well and we will discuss with the Lebanese government the issue of determining time of the commencement of the trials. The Registrar of the Court proceeded in administrative processes and the term of Bellemare was extended to enable him to bring the suspects to trial
12:42 MP Walid Jumblatt, head of the Democratic Gathering bloc, is meeting with PM Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail.
12:09 After meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Ahmed al-Beddawi expressed hope that the government will soon be established. He also noted that reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Egypt will take place as soon as possible.
11:47 MP Amin Cherri to OTV: PM Siniora's proposed two-basket solution for the establishment of the government is a trap for the opposition. Its aim is relieving the majority of the problem and handing it to the opposition, and establishing a problem between the president and the opposition. We reject this completely. The Memorandum of Understanding between the FPM and Hezbollah is permanent
11:10 MP Abdullah Farhat to ANB Television: Anyone who thinks that getting service ministries will help him gain the upper hand in the 2009 parliamentary elections is wrong, because the state's financial situation will not allow it.
09:47 Lebanese national Hisham Ghossein was killed today in Al-Qantara in the caza of Marjayoun, when a landmine dating back to the war with Israel exploded under his tractor as he was working in the fields.
07:37 MP Michel Moussa to the Voice of Lebanon radio station: We have reached an advanced phase [over the establishment of the government] through the serious work done by all parties.
07:28 Michel Moussa told Voice of Lebanon : The formation of the cabinet has reached an advanced stage . The tense security situation demands that all parties should accelerate their discussions in order to finalize the creation of the cabinet
07:20 Ammar Al-Houri told "Voice of Lebanon": PM Fouad Siniora's consultations over the government have not yet led to any decisive results, and he needs more time for them. Formulations on the government formation presented by him to the opposition are fair and based on the Doha agreement . We have reached the second phase in establishing the national-unity government. The tense security situation is politically motivated and we think that the problems will recede as the political climate improves
07:06 Several leaders have advised the government to reject any offer for negotiation with Israel and not to entertain any encouragement to do so by any Arab or Foreign country .
06:47 Aboul Gheit: You cannot say that Egypt is hostile to Hezbollah on the other hand Egypt is against the so-called militia groups in a state that is based on law and order
06:12 "As Safir ": MP Saad Hariri held a another lengthy meeting last night with Hassan Khalil. This is their second within 24 hours to try and accelerate the formation of the cabinet. Khalil has been briefing Gen. Aoun on the meetings
05:56 "As Safir "the opposition is willing to move rapidly on t5he government formation if they get the Ministry of Finance and Justice. But Justice is a red line for Hariri because of the tribunal
05:52 "New TV ": opposition sources are reporting that Jumblatt and Hariri are playing a positive role in resolving the cabinet formation
05:43 President Sarkozy is awaiting a report on the new documents that president Suleiman promised to provide as a proof that Shebaa Farms are Lebanese and not Syrian. Sarkozy will be in Israel in approximately 10 days and promised to help resolve the Shebaa issue diplomatically.
Wednesday
22:24 "LBC": an exchange of fire between gunmen in a car and the army at the entrance to Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, one soldier and one armed gunman wounded
22:14 NBN: army detains an armed man who shot at an army checkpoint at the entrance to Ein el-Hilweh camp
22:11 "new TV": shooting at the western entrance to the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp. 1 was injured
21:17 Mohammed Jawad Khalifa told NBN: When the Lebanese factions went to Doha for dialogue outside of Lebanon, not inside this meant that they accepted the arbitration from outside Lebanon. After the Taif accord all become all ministries became sovereign . The talk about the problem in the distribution of sovereign and services ministries means they don't really want to solve the problem
21:08 Berri and Jumblatt agreed on the need to accelerate the formation of the government because that will help improve the security situation