The abduction of the Shiite pilgrims in Aleppo had a positive effect on the ties between Speaker Nabih Berri and ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who strongly condemned the incident.

Hariri contacted Berri on Tuesday, voicing his support to the families of the abducted men and stressing the necessity of exerting all efforts to release them.

Lebanese officials welcomed on Wednesday Saudi King Abdullah’s call for national dialogue among Lebanese foes in an attempt to steer Lebanon clear of regional disputes, local newspapers reported.

Speaker Nabih Berri said that King Abdullah’s letter to President Michel Suleiman is a “direct” and “explicit” call for resumption of dialogue between Lebanese foes amid the critical situation the country is passing through.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Tuesday that Lebanon would not yield to internal and external pressure to change its policy of dissociating itself form the Syrian crisis.

In remarks to Ad-Diyar newspaper, Berri expressed regret that four Gulf countries have advised their citizens not to travel to Lebanon, hoping that such a decision was not part of the pressure exerted on Lebanese officials to change their policies towards Syria.

Speaker Nabih Berri noted that all sides in Lebanon are aware of the dangers“being imposed on the country,” saying that all powers should work together for the sake of Lebanon, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

He told the daily that former Premier Saad Hariri’s reply to his call to resume the national dialogue “is not negative.”

President Michel Suleiman expressed “disgust” on Saturday over the pressure exerted on him to sign the $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending bill.

Suleiman told al-Akhbar newspaper that “even if holding onto his stances cost him his post, he doesn’t care.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati welcomed on Saturday Speaker Nabih Berri’s initiative for dialogue over the recent clashes that erupted in the northern port city of Tripoli.

“Dialogue is the only way to resolve the situation in the city,” sources close to Miqati told As Safir newspaper.

Former prime minister Saad Hariri on Friday responded to Speaker Nabih Berri’s recent call for national dialogue, saying he welcomes “the principle of dialogue” but noting that it is “unacceptable” to turn dialogue over Hizbullah’s arms into dialogue over the latest unrest in Tripoli.

“We welcome the principle of dialogue and the call for dialogue; however, we remind that our permanent stance is: We were not the ones who withdrew from the national dialogue, and we demand its resumption on the bases that were agreed upon, and on the items that were included on its agenda,” said Hariri in a statement.

Speaker Nabih Berri said on Friday that his suggestion on resuming the national dialogue should focus on discussing the situation in the northern city of Tripoli, stressing that if needed, the dialogue could discuss other issues.

“The (suggested) national dialogue will not tackle the arms that are apparently widely spreading in various places” across Lebanon, Berri told As Safir.

Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday said he discussed with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri the possibility of calling the leaders of the national dialogue committee to a meeting under the chairmanship of President Michel Suleiman that would “at least discuss” the latest unrest in Tripoli.

Following a meeting in Ain al-Tineh, Berri said talks with Asiri also tackled “the need for the Lebanese to take a unified stance in order to find an urgent, effective and permanent solution to the situation in the North.”

The sides that are seeking to carry out assassinations in Lebanon are too powerful to be thwarted by the local authorities, revealed security circles to al-Joumhouria newspaper on Thursday.

They said that these groups “are backed by major intelligence agencies that have dedicated billions of dollars for them.”