naharnet- Wage Decrees on Cabinet Agenda but FPM Ministers Likely to Boycott Session , November 30, 2011

Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas did not confirm Wednesday whether Change and Reform bloc ministers would attend a cabinet session set to discuss the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

“There is a possibility that the bloc’s ministers would attend the cabinet sessions,” Nahhas told Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3).

He said the boycott of the ministers of the government session last Friday was a strong message sent to Prime Minister Najib Miqati. “It had positive results.”

Putting the wage article on the cabinet agenda is a positive development, he added.

Several decrees linked to Nahhas’ proposal on the wage boost were put on the 69-item agenda of Wednesday’s session.

Culture Minister Gaby Layyoun, another member of the bloc, told VDL (100.5) that his party is adopting a wait-and-see approach on whether its reform demands will be met.

The bloc’s ministers have linked their participation in the cabinet to a set of conditions. The government’s discussion of the salary boost and the implementation of several development projects were among the demands made by the ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

Aoun on Tuesday showed leniency in finding a solution to the STL funding crisis.

Asked whether his bloc was ready to cooperate with efforts to resolve the issue, he said the Change and Reform is open to any solution provided that it maintains stability in Lebanon.

Informed sources told As Safir newspaper that the MP’s remarks were a sign that the crisis was being resolved.

But FPM leadership sources said that despite the positive attitude towards their demands, the move to put Nahhas’ proposal on the wage boost was not enough for the Change and Reform bloc ministers to attend cabinet sessions.

The ministers will only return to the government if they receive promises that their requests will be met, the sources told As Safir.

Despite the reports about the possible boycott of the FPM ministers of Wednesday’s session, it was not yet clear if the meeting would be postponed or not.

Al-Liwaa newspaper said that Aoun’s son-in-law Jebran Bassil asked President Michel Suleiman to postpone the session to allow consultations more time in finding a breakthrough to the tribunal funding.

During their talks at Baabda palace, Suleiman promised Bassil to discuss the issue with Miqati, it said.

Naharnet- Jumblat Meets Berri: Government's Survival is Essential, November 30, 2011

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh, amid fears of a possible collapse of Premier Najib Miqati’s government.

Jumblat told Al-Manar television that “the government’s survival is essential,” stressing that “no one has an interest in possible political vacuum in the country.”

He also told LBC television that “discussions (on the governmental situation) got underway, but nothing is settled yet.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Berri held talks with Miqati in Ain el-Tineh in a bid to resolve the standoff in cabinet over the funding of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

As Safir newspaper reported Tuesday that Berri, in his attempt to find consensus among the cabinet members, was tasked by the Hizbullah leadership, in a move coordinated with President Michel Suleiman, to contact Miqati to find an acceptable solution by all members.

“The cabinet at this crucial stage … should work and not resign,” he told As Safir.

Sources close to Jumblat have said the Druze chief’s stance on the government standoff was linked to the decision Miqati might take if the March 8 camp ministers rejected to fund the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The sources told As Safir daily in remarks published Tuesday that the PSP chief rejects the collapse of the government. “The country cannot bear” crises anymore, they said.

“We should avoid everything that creates instability,” the sources added.

They reiterated that Jumblat backs the funding of the STL. He along with President Michel Suleiman and Miqati support the payment of Lebanon’s 49 percent annual share of funds to the STL.

The sources also said that the possible stance of the National Struggle Front parliamentary bloc, which is led by Jumblat, was linked to the decision Miqati might take.

The premier warned last week that he would submit his resignation if the cabinet failed to fund the tribunal.

Sources close to Jumblat also told An Nahar newspaper that several ministers believe Miqati would resign because the Hizbullah-led March 8 forces would reject to fund the court during a crucial cabinet session on Wednesday.

Approval of the payment of Lebanon’s 49 percent share would be seen as a major loss to Hizbullah after the court indicted four of its members in the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri.

Naharnet- Suleiman Fears the Collapse of Cabinet as Berri Expresses Optimism, November 30, 2011

President Michel Suleiman said on Wednesday that the collapse of the cabinet will have negative repercussions on Lebanon as Speaker Nabih Berri expected that the majority will reach a safe haven concerning the crisis.

Sources close to Suleiman told As Safir newspaper that the president agreed with officials he met on Tuesday that “no one has an interest in forcing the collapse of the current cabinet.”

“The consecutive developments in the region require (Lebanon) to have active constitutional institutions … as it will be difficult to form a new cabinet amid the current political rift,” the sources said.

They noted that the officials calmed their rhetoric as they are seeking to resolve the rift over the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in an attempt to preserve the government’s unity.

The funding of the STL has created a rift between the cabinet members, threatening its collapse as Lebanon is required to pay around $33 million dues.

For his part, Speaker Berri was optimistic on Wednesday concerning the crisis threatening the cabinet as he expected the majority to resolve the crisis.

He said in remarks published in As Safir that the government members will reach a solution that will preserve its tenure and stimulate its productivity.

naharnet- Cabinet’s Fate Hinges on Last Minute Consultations to Resolve STL Funding Crisis , November 30, 2011

The fate of a cabinet session set to discuss the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was not clear on Wednesday morning after a report said that the meeting was postponed to allow consultations to resolve the crisis more time.

An Nahar daily reported that the session which was scheduled to be held at Baabda palace on Wednesday afternoon was postponed to pave way for a final agreement among the cabinet members to avert the collapse of the government.

Last week, Premier Najib Miqati threatened to resign if the cabinet failed to approve the payment of 49 percent of Lebanon’s shares to the STL, around $33 million.

Informed sources told An Nahar that the decision to postpone the session was made to avoid a possible boycott of ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

Aoun said on Tuesday that his Change and Reform bloc was ready to cooperate to find a solution to the funding crisis.

The ministers loyal to Aoun have conditioned their participation in the cabinet to a series of requests that the cabinet should meet. Among them is the adoption of a salary boost proposal made by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas.

While the proposal has been put on Wednesday’s 69-item agenda, other demands such as the approval of electricity and water development projects and making appointments at the Higher Judicial Council are still waiting for the cabinet’s green light.

Aoun’s son-in-law Energy Minister Jebran Bassil met with President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday in a bid to postpone the cabinet session. However, it was not clear if the head of state discussed the matter with Miqati and if they agreed to the proposal.

Informed sources told As Safir newspaper that the intense consultations between the political leaderships have made major progress but did not reach the expected happy ending.

The final solution, if reached, could be announced around noon Wednesday ahead of the session.