Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Wednesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

An-Nahar: Lebanon to STL: We did not find the suspects

Electricity [issue] to electrify Parliament today

Just a few days before a 30-day deadline for Lebanese authorities to arrest four suspects in the Feb. 14, 2005 assassination of former statesman Rafik Hariri ended, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) announced Tuesday it had received a report from State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza in which he states that none of the four suspects had so far been arrested.

The announcement coincided with a move by Mirza to release the first batch of detained Fatah al-Islam members. Three of them (Lebanese) arrived in Tripoli last night after paying a LL300,000 bail.

Parliament resumes its sessions Wednesday amid speculation that the meeting is likely to see severe confrontations over political and legislative issues. Politically, Parliament is expected to address public affairs, particularly with regard to Lebanon’s foreign policy which has stirred controversy at the Security Council and with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour’s visit to Damascus.

The Future Movement said following its weekly meeting Tuesday that Mansour’s visit to Damascus Sunday “brought to mind the painful, unaccepted Syrian tutelage [of Lebanon].”

“Lebanon has special ties with sister Syria and cares about it on the basis of mutual respect between the two countries and not on the basis of eliminating Lebanon’s opinion and role,” Future Movement said.

On the other hand, An-Nahar has learned that March 14 MPs will strongly oppose an attempt to pass a bill authorizing Energy Minister Jibran Bassil to spend $1.2 billion to produce 700 MW power.

As-Safir: Bassil: It’s in Parliament’s hands to illuminate Lebanon or leave it in the dark

Arms smugglers suddenly shifted to Tripoli!

Lebanese eyes turned to Syria Tuesday in light of the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu to Damascus where he held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad at a time when several issues were back on the front burner, at the top the STL indictments, which resurfaced with an announcement that Lebanese authorities submitted a report to the STL saying that “so far none of the four people who are accused have been detained.”

Simultaneously, the issue of arms smuggling to Syria has started to draw reactions.

A high-ranking security source told As-Safir that investigation is under way into a recent arms-smuggling case. [Security forces arrested last Friday three Lebanese on charges of attempting to smuggle automatic rifles from the Beirut coastline by boat. Reports said the weapons were destined for Syria.]

Investigation revealed that the three suspects involved are members of a prominent group within the March 14 coalition. Data confirms that this was not the only arms-smuggling attempt.

The source said the three suspects had been referred to the military court. Confessions made by them uncovered the presence of a fourth involved individual. He has been identified only by his initials as M.E. and said to be from north Lebanon and close to a local commander of a prominent March 14 group and the “mastermind.” He is still at large.

Meanwhile, Parliament will resume its sessions Wednesday.

Energy Minister Jibran Bassil underlined the need for Parliament to approve the plan to develop the electricity sector “particularly since the bill is the work of more than one and a half years and has been approved by all political forces.”

“Therefore there is no reason for any group to reject [the bill],” Bassil told As-Safir. “Parliament today faces a test – it either illuminates Lebanon or leaves it in the dark.”

Al-Mustaqbal: Future bloc: Mansour’s remarks in Damascus brings “painful tutelage [era] to mind”

As expected, the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati did not dare ask Hezbollah about its “holy icons” who were indicted in the Hariri assassination. So the government informed the STL only 48 hours before the deadline set by the STL for the arrests to be made that “so far none of the four people who are accused have been detained.”

State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza told Al-Mustaqbal that in his report to the STL he explains that authorities failed to arrest the suspects because they were not able to find them.

“Our mission did not stop here,” Mirza said, pledging to continue search of the suspects. 

Meanwhile, the Future bloc reiterated its call for an “end to crimes committed against Syrian citizens,” and said Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour’s remarks made during a visit to Damascus Sunday “brought to mind the painful, unaccepted Syrian tutelage [of Lebanon].”

Al-Joumhouria: Lebanon headed toward confrontation with international community

Lebanon on Tuesday entered a post-STL indictment phase and the Lebanese government will have to deal with the steps taken by the international community.

A reliable source told Al-Joumhouria that Mirza will this week request that the four Hezbollah suspects turn themselves over to the STL.

The source said the indictment will be published on the STL website next week after which STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare and pre-trial Judge Daniel Fransen will hold separate news conferences.

Diplomatic sources in New York, meanwhile, told Al-Joumhouria that the Security Council will soon “evaluate Lebanon’s non-cooperation with the STL” with regards to the arrest of the four suspects.

The source said the Security Council will request a “series of measures to be taken by the [Lebanese] government to prove it had actually cooperated and searched for the suspects and that attempts to arrest were unfruitful.”