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

Al-Mustaqbal

Future [Movement] welcomes [STL funding] agreement: recognition of legitimacy entails handover of suspects

Hezbollah government funds ‘Israeli tribunal’

The struggle of the majority of the Lebanese from March 14, 2005 until Sunday’s rally in Tripoli to mark Independence Day culminated in a victory with the announcement that Lebanon’s share of the funds for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon had been paid.

This meant, according to many observers, that the Hezbollah government “funded a court it described as an Israeli.”

Funding has brought down the curtain on one of the important stations of struggle, pending an even more important issue – renewal of the protocol agreement with the STL in March.

Pending a clear position from the forces involved in the agreement to fund the STL, the size of losses suffered by those who opposed funding, primarily Hezbollah, was obvious, let alone the expected defeat of the party’s ally, Gen. Michel Aoun, particularly since the money came from the Lebanese state treasury and not from the “pocket” of political leaders as he has repeatedly said.

Hezbollah also paid huge political prices Wednesday for the sin it committed when it rejected an [STL] agreement with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

As-Safir

Berri and Mikati the biggest winners ... Hezbollah ‘distances itself’ ... Aoun awaits his ‘dues’ ... Jumblatt relieved ... March 14 puzzled

Finally ... it’s over.

One could say that the majority camp [March 8] emerged as the winner from the funding agreement, as it reinstalled the pillars which have recently been shaken and succeeded in averting a government collapse after standing for days on the edge of the abyss.

Certainly Prime Minister Najib Mikati is the biggest winner. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, however, won the award for “best director, best screenplay.”

Hezbollah, for its part, harvested strategic revenues at the level of protecting the fundamental principles of the government.

The funding agreement has also reduced the burden on Michel Aoun who had used his opposition to the funding issue against his Christian rivals.

The deal has also relieved MP Walid Jumblatt, who had feared a political vacuum and its repercussions, knowing that he was the first advocate of funding.

An-Nahar

Miraculous solution a triumph for the tribunal, saves government

Mikati passes funding with Hezbollah approval

Bassil: Government problem was not solved, deal adds a violation to those who signed it

What is the story of the “miraculous solution” which passed the STL funding through the Higher Relief Committee? What will happen after the agreement and what about its impact on the balance of gains and losses within the government?

In a summary to the gains and losses arising from this decision, it was clear that Mikati, whose decision has preserved the credibility of his repeated promises toward STL funding, has won.

But that did not remove the dust from the dubious method by which the money was paid without passing through Cabinet, which raises doubts about the legality of the transfer which was made possible through the Higher Relief Committee.

In addition to Mikati, the balance of profits can be distributed to the forces in support of funding, mainly President Michel Sleiman and Walid Jumblatt’s National Struggle Front.

The opposition [March 14], in turn, harvested an initial gain – that the government and its prime minister cannot overcome the reality of Lebanon's commitment to fund the tribunal and cooperate with it.

As for the balance of losses, it seemed that Hezbollah and Gen. Michel Aoun have topped the list, especially since the agreement to finance the STL contradicted all the firm pledges made by both sides that outright rejected the funding.

In the first comment from Aoun’s bloc, Energy Minister Jibran Bassil told An-Nahar Wednesday night that the agreement “adds a violation to the records of those who signed it.”

Al-Akhbar

[STL] funding paves way for battle over Aoun demands

Financing the STL has been accomplished in one phone call. Foreign countries have welcomed the agreement as the opposition celebrated its “victory” but demanded more be done.

The majority, however, remained silent with the exception of Ain al-Tineh [residence of Speaker Nabih Berri] which welcomed the deal and received “blessings.”

But they won’t stay silent for long as Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah will make a televised political speech Thursday evening with the funding issue likely to top the items he will address.

It took one phone call from the Grand Serail to Lebanon’s Central Bank to resolve the funding issue from outside the Cabinet.

Almost all media outlets said Wednesday that the money came from the Higher Relief Committee. But head of the HRC, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Bashir, told Al-Akhbar this was “not true.”

Reports surfaced that the money came from an account in the Central Bank of Lebanon that has been put at the disposal of the prime minister. This account is mostly comprised of funds from internal and external donations.

Sources involved in negotiations that preceded the agreement said Hezbollah disapproved of the funding method.

Also, there was no official stance from Rabieh Wednesday, but sources close to Aoun stressed that the position of the head of the Change and Reform bloc remains the same, which is against the funding and with the activation of government work.

The sources noted that most of Aoun’s demands “focus on development issues whose implementation is of interest to all the Lebanese.”

Meanwhile, sources close to Mikati said a large number of projects demanded by Aoun “are included on the [Cabinet] agenda.”