President Michel Aoun has said that Lebanon’s “clear stance” is in favor of resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict through “dialogue,” following the latest controversy over a Lebanese Foreign Ministry statement that condemned over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“Lebanon has faced difficult disputes, confrontations and security incidents that all ended through dialogue,” Aoun added, in an interview with the Asas Media news website.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Saturday suggested that the Lebanese should elect their president in a popular vote as part of ideas that he proposed to reform the political system.

“It is permissible for us here to seriously think of electing the president of the republic directly by the people in two electoral rounds, in order to preserve the post’s special status, symbolism and its representation of all Lebanese,” Bassil said at a FPM seminar on civil state.

The Cabinet on Friday approved “in principle” the electricity plan devised by Energy Minister Walid Fayyad.

The Russian Embassy in Lebanon on Friday voiced astonishment over a Lebanese Foreign Ministry statement that condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The statement has astonished us for its violation of the dissociation policy (officially adopted by Lebanon) and for siding with one party against another in these events, knowing that Russia has spared no effort to contribute to the rise and stability of the Lebanese Republic,” the Embassy said in a communique.

The ambassadors of France and Germany to Lebanon on Friday met with Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and thanked Lebanon for the statement it has issued on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the National News Agency said.

The two envoys hoped Lebanon will “maintain this stance” and requested “Lebanon’s participation in the adoption of the resolution submitted before the (U.N.) Security Council regarding the crisis,” NNA added.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine and called on Moscow to “immediately halt military operations.”

“In light of the military invasions that Lebanon’s modern history witnessed, which inflicted heavy losses on it and its people… Lebanon condemns the invasion of Ukrainian territory and calls on Russia to immediately halt military operations,” the Ministry said in a statement.

The Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has issued a scheduling order for the pronouncement of the Appeal Judgment in the Rafik Hariri case.

The ruling will be announced in a public session on March 10 at 14.00 CET, the STL said in a statement.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati chaired Thursday a meeting with a delegation from the World Bank headed by the World Bank Regional Director in the Middle East Saroj Kumar Jha.

"We want Lebanon to adopt an electricity plan as soon as possible," the regional director said, stressing that "it is a prerequisite for securing funds for the electricity sector from the World Bank."

President Michel Aoun on Thursday held a meeting with a delegation from New York-based audit firm Alvarez & Marsal.

The firm had launched an audit of the accounts of Lebanon’s central bank in September 2020, but was forced to pull out two months later because the central bank failed to hand over necessary data. Aoun said in October that the company had resumed its work.

Lebanese Forces MP Eddy Abillama and Change Movement head Elie Mahfoud submitted Thursday new information about the Beirut port explosion to Judge Tarek Bitar.

Abillama and Mahfoud presented, in a memo, new documents and information that they said might help with the investigations.