In an effort to salvage the country from a fresh crisis, however, Druze leader Walid Jumblat on Monday shuttled between President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri to ensure there would be no vote in Cabinet.
The Council of Ministers is set to discuss a report by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on false witnesses.
The report has already stirred up controversy over a clause which gives the Lebanese judiciary, and not the Justice Council, power over the false witnesses.
The Opposition insists that the Justice Council handles false witnesses.
Lebanese Forces deputy leader George Adwan believed that the Opposition is linking the issue of false witnesses to the Justice Council to get rid of Military Prosecutor Saqr Saqr, State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, Police chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and head of the police intelligence bureau Col. Wissam Hasan.
Local media on Tuesday said Jumblat's shuttle was also aimed at "spreading a clam, rational atmosphere."
Jumblat, too, urged dialogue and consensus on the false witnesses.
An-Nahar newspaper quoted well-informed circles as saying that Jumblat took on the role of a "centrist firefighter" after a sharp split emerged in Lebanon between the majority March 14 coalition and the Opposition March 8 forces.
They said Jumblat's meetings with Lebanon's top three leaders focused on three political issues: to ensure no vote for Tribunal funding in the event the issue was raised; adopt a pacific debate on Najjar's report and ensure no vote, too; and consider the possibility of coming out with a compromise or an appropriate exit to the report.
Meanwhile, President Michel Suleiman has reportedly launched a series of internal consultations in order to bridge the gap of as much as possible because of the emerging "Report of the carpenter
As-Safir newspaper said Suleiman sought a calm atmosphere in an effort to get away with a vote.
It said that while Jumblat's Cabinet ministers apparently tend toward siding up with the majority ministers in voting against referral of the false witnesses issue to the Justice Council, Jumblat insisted he supports "consensus."
"The most important thing is to reach no vote and calm," Jumblat told As-Safir in remarks published Tuesday.
As-Safir quoted Suleiman visitors as saying the President is seeking consensus in Cabinet.
But Hariri seemed to be totally against referring the issue to the Justice Council, As-Safir quoted the Premier's sources as saying, which constitutes a new point of contention with the Opposition.
Future News channel, meanwhile, quoted head of the Higher Judicial Council Judge Ghaleb Ghanem as saying that the false witnesses issue does not fall under the Justice Council jurisdiction.
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