SHOTLIST

1. Arrival of convoy with Alexander Sultanov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

2. Sultanov walking with officials

3. Pan from cameramen and photographers to Sultanov and Fawzi Salloukh, former Lebanese Foreign Minister

4. Mid of Sultanov

5. Mid of Salloukh

6. Wide of meeting

7. Cutaway cameramen

8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic), Alexander Sultanov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister:

"We discussed the international tribunal and other internal affairs. We agreed on the continuation of national dialogue, a dialogue of all the problems in Lebanon, because dialogue is the only way to save the national consensus and unity."

9. Cameramen

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Fawzi Salloukh, former Lebanese Foreign Minister:

"Russia will take all necessary action to help and support in finding a solution to the problem."

11. Convoy leaving

12. Presidential palace

13. Sultanov at meeting with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud

14. Mid of Lahoud

15. Mid of Sultanov

16. Exterior, Prime Minister's office building

17. Lebanese flag

18. Various of meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora

19. Exterior of Ein El-Tineh Palace

20. Various of meeting with parliament speaker, Nabih Berri

STORYLINE:

Envoys from Russia and the UN were involved in Beirut on Tuesday in what may be a last-ditch attempt to win approval from Lebanon's opposing camps for an international tribunal into the assassination of Lebanon's prime minister, Rafik Hariri, a subject that's divided Lebanese opinion and which threatens the country's stability.

The parliament has put off approving a draft agreement with the United Nations, paralyzed by a political crisis between the government, which wants a multi-national tribunal to prosecute suspects in the 2005 assassination, and the Hezbollah-led opposition, which wants more discussion first.

The Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and the parliamentary majority have asked the United Nations to impose the Hariri tribunal and bypass the Lebanese legislature but opposition leaders have warned that such intervention could spell more trouble for the country.

Clashes over the issue have already caused nine deaths.

Opposition campaigners have been camping outside Saniora's office since December, 2006, paralyzing large parts of the capital's commercial district to demand his resignation but Saniora has refused to step down.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Alexander Sultanov arrived for talks in Beirut with various Lebanese officials and the former Lebanese foreign minister Fawzi Salloukh.

Sultanov said that Russia was eager to help find a compromise, not impose a solution, stressing that the Lebanese need to find consensus through dialogue.

"We discussed the international tribunal," he said. "We agreed upon the continuation of the national dialogue, a dialogue of all the problems in Lebanon, because dialogue is the only way to save the national consensus and unity."

Fawzi Salloukh, who resigned as Lebanon's foreign minister, said that Russia would do what is necessary to help and support in finding a solution to the problem.

Russia, with a veto on UN Security Council resolutions, has enjoyed good relations with Lebanon and Syria, which has been widely accused of involvement in the assassination.

Sultanov also met with Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He is then expected to travel to Syria, which remains an important player despite the withdrawal of its army from Lebanon in the wake of Hariri's assassination.

Along with Sultanov, the top UN legal chief Nicolas Michel was flying in later Tuesday to Beirut to help overcome the impasse.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is scheduled to visit Syria next week, after a trip to Lebanon in March.

The anti-Syrian majority in Parliament blames Damascus for killing Hariri, an accusation Syria vehemently denies, and say the Syrians were using their Lebanese allies to undermine the formation of the tribunal.

SHOTLIST:

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of Army checkpoint in front of residence used by United Nations Secretary General

2. Army Armoured Personnel Vehicle (APV) guarding residence

3. Close- up of UN flag

4. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon's convoy heading to Ain el-Tineh (Residence of Lebanese Parliament Speaker)

5. Convoy entering Ain El-Tineh

6. Ban in arrival ceremony

7. Members of military standing in line along red carpet

8. Ban shaking hands with Nabih Berri, Lebanese Parliament Speaker

9. Close-up of Berri

10. Various of meeting between Ban and Berri

12. Reporters in meeting room

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary General:

"I also discussed with the speaker as I mentioned, the issue of a special tribunal and emphasised my commitment to the establishment of that tribunal for Lebanon as soon as possible."

14. Exterior of Lebanese Prime Minister's office

15. Ban arriving at Lebanese Prime Minister's office, welcomed by Tarik Mitri, acting Foreign Minister

16. Wide of meeting

17. Close-up of Ban

18. Close-up of Fuad Saniora, Prime Minister

19. Wide of Coral Beach, Hotel and Resort

POOL

20. Saad Hariri, Head of future Movement and Member of Parliament walking.

21. Hariri and Ban shaking hands

22. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Saad Hariri, Head of future Movement and Member of Parliament:

"Committing crimes in this manner without the punishment of the murderers is like licensing them to kill, so the United Nations is following up the establishment of the tribunal".

23. Ban shaking hands with Walid Jumblatt, senior Druse leader; Marwan Hamadeh, Communications Minister; Ghazi Aridi, Information Minister.

AP TELEVISION

24. Tilt down of residence used by Ban

25. Convoy leaving

STORYLINE:

The United Nations Secretary General on Friday called for the full implementation of a United Nations Security Council resolution that ended last summer's war between Lebanon and Israel.

Ban Ki-Moon also urged rival Lebanese leaders to engage in dialogue as the only way to end a deepening political crisis and approve an international court to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

He met separately with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who hails from opposition ranks aligned with Hezbollah and with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who is backed by the parliamentary majority.

"I also discussed with the speaker as I mentioned, the issue of a special tribunal and emphasised my commitment to the establishment of that tribunal for Lebanon as soon as possible," said Ban at a briefing after his meeting with Berri.

He was also to meet later on Friday with U.N. peacekeeping officials and Lebanese military and police commanders.

Ban met with Rafik Hariri's son, Saad, who heads the pro-government parliamentary majority in Lebanon.

They discussed the establishment of the tribunal that may try the suspects involved in the assassination of his father.

"Committing crimes in this manner without the punishment of the murderers is like licensing them to kill, so the United Nations is following up the establishment of the tribunal," said Saad Hariri after his meeting with Ban.

Ban also met with senior Druse leader, Walid Jumblatt.

On Saturday, Ban is to travel to the south Lebanon border area to visit with U.N. troops stationed in the south, near the border with Israel.

Ban has criticised both Israel and Lebanon for violating Resolution 1701, noting an increase of Israeli military overflights of its northern neighbour in February and early March.

The resolution also calls for a halt in arms shipments to Hezbollah, and demands the "unconditional release" of two Israeli soldiers Hezbollah captured in a cross-border raid.

The incident triggered last summer's 34-day war that ended with a 14 August ceasefire.

Hezbollah has refused to release the soldiers without negotiations to trade them for Arabs held by Israel.

The resolution also provided for the deployment of a reinforced U.N. peacekeeping force, now numbering close to 13-thousand.

Ban arrived Thursday in Beirut from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he attended a summit of Arab leaders.

His tour of the Middle East has already taken him to Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide of Prime Minister's office building

2. Lebanese flag flying

3. Various of European Parliament delegation meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora

3. Delegation walking

4 . SOUNDBITE: (French) Veronique De Keyser, Head of European Parliament delegation:

"We are here to assess the destruction that took place last summer, so for the first time we have been to the south of the country and met with our UNIFIL troops."

5. Cutaway of cameras

6. SOUNDBITE: (French) Veronique De Keyser, Head of European Parliament delegation:

"We are concerned because we think that internal struggles could put democracy in danger. Democracy can be endangered in thousands of ways, it can be because people are worried to express themselves, because people are afraid of being killed, and for the assassinations that you have seen and suffered, there must be justice. It is not our duty as the European Parliamentarians to define justice - should there be an international tribunal under chapter six or seven, that question it is not our problem. The problem is that we as Europeans and the Lebanese think that this country must achieve justice rather than foster a culture of impunity."

7. Delegation leaving Prime Minister's office building

8. Convoy leaving

STORYLINE:

The head of a European Parliament delegation visiting Lebanon on Saturday said there was concern that internal struggles "could put democracy in danger" and urged the country to strive for "justice."

"Democracy can be endangered in thousands of ways, it can be because people are worried to express themselves, because people are afraid of being killed, and for the assassinations that you have seen and suffered, there must be justice," Veronique De Keyser said.

De Keyser spoke after the delegation met Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora in Beirut.

Lebanon has as been paralysed since November by a power struggle pitting Western-backed Saniora, who is supported by many Sunni Muslims, against the opposition, led by the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah.

The sectarian tensions have been brewing since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005.

On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced he was sending the U.N. legal chief to Beirut to try to break an impasse

and get Lebanese government approval for an international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination.

Lebanon's pro-Syrian Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has refused to convene parliament to ratify the tribunal.

"It is not our duty as the European Parliamentarians to define justice - should there be an international tribunal under chapter six or seven, that question it is not our problem. The problem is that we as Europeans and the Lebanese think that this country must achieve justice rather than foster a culture of impunity," De Keyser said.

The delegation visited European UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) troop headquarters in South Lebanon on Friday, but the media was not authorised to cover their visit.

The European Parliament delegation is also expected to meet with other Lebanese politicians during their two day visit.