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

Ad-Diyar: Politics: The U.S. Embassy has nothing to do with the demarcation of maritime borders and the situation between Lebanon and Israel

The country entered the holiday summer season with plenty of issues which will continue through to the end of August. A notable event will be the August 2 Council of Ministers sessions of Parliament and the August 3 and 4 oil law and demarcation of maritime borders.

In addition, the first of August will see the end of month deadline set by the international tribunal. In commemoration of the July 2006 War, which will be broadcast on Manara TV station, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will discuss the developments of the country and the Arab region.

Many were amazed at community efforts made to resolve the issue of Lassa. The committee headed by the Maronite patriarch to solve the problem was held in Bkirki in the presence of representatives from Hezbollah and the Maronite League and others in the town of Lassa, and the agreement was to resolve the matter legally with the blessing of Speaker [Nabih] Berri, the patriarch, Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement. The Maronite Patriarchate also issued a statement saying that the dispute over the real estate is not political.

In other news were the recent statements of the Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Lebanon, Michael Williams, saying that he feared sectarian clashes in Lebanon.

As for the maritime borders, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said that the U.S. has never been a party to the maritime dispute between Lebanon and Israel, releasing a statement saying that U.S. envoy Frederick Hof does not have any plans to visit Lebanon at the present time. Najib Mikati met with Energy Minister Gibran Bassil, and they said the government is taking all necessary actions to complete the process with the U.N. and Cyprus as a first stage.

Al-Mustaqbal: The United States says it is not a party to the maritime dispute

All the domestic issues seem frozen by politics. The representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Lebanon Michael Williams has shown a strong presence in terms of his warning of a possible sectarian conflict in Lebanon due to regional events.

Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abu Faour informed Mustaqbal that President Michel Sleiman will not call for dialogue before the issue of political forces is complete.

Furthermore, the Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi denied what has been announced by the Lebanese authorities regarding the issuing of arrest warrants by the international tribunal. He said in a media statement that his office "categorically denies the issuance of such warrants.”

Qortbawi said he did not want to delve into the so-called “false witness” files, emphasizing that "the Council of Ministers is to decide the issue of arrest warrants issued by the international tribunal.”

Regarding the maritime borders, Mikati and Energy Minister Bassil declared that "the government is moving quickly," adding that the Lebanese government was working seriously on this issue with the U.N. and Cyprus in this initial stage.

As-Safir: Fneish addresses the issue of appointments

Next month, an official ceremony will bring together government officials and a legislative session will be held in Parliament regarding the issue of maritime borders. Sleiman is expected to announce a meeting at Baabda for the continuation of national dialogue.

The maritime border issue has been at the top of the government agenda, to protect Lebanon’s oil and gas. And the issue of government appointments is likely to heat up next month.

Minister of State Mohammad Fneish stressed the importance of adopting a mechanism for making qualified appointments, where efficiency, eligibility and merit is taken into account.

Fneish, who has submitted a draft strategy to the prime minister and a plan for administrative reform, urged the ministers to move forward. He said he would start identifying vacancies in ministries so that qualified candidates could submit their CVs to the Cabinet. So far, no timeframe has been set.

Al-Joumhouria: Hof will not visit Lebanon

Following rumors that the United States would intervene in the maritime dispute between Lebanon and Israel, the U.S.Embassy in Beirut has denied that Frederic Hof has any plans to visit Beirut in the near future. The statement said that any talk the U.S. has taken a position on this is untrue, and the U.S. will not be party to this conflict.

On Friday, all eyes were on Syria, where 1.2 million anti-government demonstrators took to the streets, facing unprecedented security measures, including military deployment and raids on neighborhoods throughout the country, as the government tries to quell the revolution before the holy month of Ramadan.

In other security news, there was the attack on government offices in Oslo, Norway, where there was a series of explosions leaving 87 dead. This was followed by global condemnation.

The weekly Friday anti-Syrian government demonstrations in Tripoli proceeded peacefully this week, focusing this time on Iran and President Bashar Assad.

Al-Joumhouria has learned that there will be a new set of appointments in the second session of August.

Meanwhile, the U.S. says it is not a party to the maritime borders issue and the Lebanese government says it is working on the issue with the U.N. and Cyprus as a preliminary stage.