Beirut  - US Senator John Kerry arrived in Beirut Wednesday for talks with Lebanese leaders as part of a Mideast tour.

Kerry held talks with Prime Minister Fouad Seniora, President Michel Suleiman and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.

According to a government official the talks focused on Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections in June, as well as bilateral relations.

Beirut  - The European Union announced on Tuesday that it will send monitors to observe Lebanon's parliamentary elections in June.

"The EU is ready to send a delegation to monitor the June 7 parliamentary elections," EU commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner told reporters after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora at the Governmental Palace in downtown Beirut.

The commissioner, who is on a two-day visit to Lebanon, also held talks with President Michel Suleiman, Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud.

Beirut  - The anti-Syrian Druze leader and Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) chief Walid Jumblat Monday called for calm at the funeral of one of his followers, who was stabbed to death by men believed to be from the opposition-led Hezbollah.

"We should be above all the wounds and exert restraint," Jumblatt told mourners during the funeral of Lutfi Zeineddine in Shabaniyeh, 40 kilometres east of Beirut.

Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the attack.

Beirut  - The leader of the Hezbollah Shiite movement, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said late Monday that his group had the right to possess an air defence system to confront what he called the daily Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace.

"What I want to confirm today is that we have every right to obtain any weapon, including air defence weapons, and we have every right to use them," Nasrallah said at a rally in Beirut's southern suburbs to commemorate the first anniversary of the group's military leader Imad Mughaniyeh.

Beirut  -The European Commission has pledged 4 million euros (5.1 million dollars) to ensure that Lebanon's parliamentary elections, due in June, proceed in a democratic way, a statement by the EU said on Monday.

According to the statement "the money will cover technical assistance as well as the purchase of equipment needed for the June 7 elections."

Beirut  - Thousands of supporters of late Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005, began to assemble in downtown Beirut Saturday morning to commemorate the fourth anniversary of his death.

A massive rally is scheduled to take place amid heavy security measures put in place by the Lebanese army and the internal security forces.