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

Al-Joumhouria: Policy statement pushed forward till Monday pending [agreement on] STL

Amid internal and regional political and security developments, the government on Thursday pushed forward the drafting of the policy statement until the beginning of next week, pending Prime Minister Najib Mikati putting together the article related to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which will be the last item on the draft policy statement up for discussion.

The ministerial committee tasked with drafting the statement will convene a fifth meeting on Monday amid renewed speculation it may be the last session.

Al-Joumhouria learned that Mikati has promised the committee during Thursday’s meeting that the proposed blueprint document regarding the STL will be ready on Monday.

Al-Akhbar: Policy statement: Differences on economy, STL postponed

The ministerial committee resumed debate Thursday on the policy statement without being able to finalize the article dealing with the STL.

While the committee approved other articles on the draft policy statement, the STL remained a point of discussion between Mikati and committee members.

Meanwhile, a Cabinet minister said committee members differed on several economy issues. The minister, however, insisted that these differences did not turn into dispute.

“They just differed in their opinions with each presenting his own outlook,” the minister told Al-Akhbar.

Ad-Diyar: Majority warns against France’s efforts to speed up indictment to pressure Syria

With developments in Syria spilling onto the Lebanese arena, directly and indirectly, talk about an imminent indictment into the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri returned to the spotlight.

Sources from the majority [the Hezbollah-led march 8 coalition] believe the indictment will be issued in July.

Based on European diplomatic information, the sources said issuance of the indictment will put further pressure on Syria, particularly if the road map for reforms pledged by Syrian President Bashar Assad appears to be taking effect inside Syria.

The sources confirmed that the indictment will incite anger, particularly if it included names of senior Syrians.

Al-Mustaqbal: Baabda denies Sleiman wants to reinstate a Maronite as General Security Director, STL article delays policy statement

While the storm of reactions – triggered by the Rabieh general, Michel Aoun, Gen. – did not settle, the ministerial committee resumed Thursday a fourth session under PM Najib Mikati with the article dealing with the STL still causing pressure on the government.

Committee members were split between those who favor a more flexibly worded policy statement in dealing with issues related to international resolutions, and others – the team represented by the duo Hezbollah and Amal as well as Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement -- who see a need to boycott these resolutions.

Meanwhile, Baabda Palace denied reports that President Michel Sleiman sought to reinstate a Maronite as the director for the General Security.

“The president is keen to nominate someone who unites the Lebanese and not be a cause of dispute,” a source at Baabda Palace told Al-Mustaqbal.

As-Safir: Key policy statement contents: avoiding STL, respecting commitments and the "truth"

The ministerial committee was three quarters of the way through its policy statement Thursday before arriving at the critical article that deals with the STL. 

The STL article, however, entered a break in search for an "acceptable phrase" that is expected to be approved by the Committee during a meeting scheduled for Monday.

In the meantime, Hezbollah secretary general Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah will give a televised speech at 8:30 p.m. [local time] to speak about the latest internal and regional developments. The speech coincides with the end of a military maneuver carried out by the Israeli army on the border with Lebanon.

An-Nahar: Article on STL awaits majority’s agreement

The ministerial committee, which convened a fourth session Thursday to draft a policy statement, appeared to need more time to reach an agreement between the parties on the thorny issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The STL is believed to be the major obstacle facing the policy statement. Information Minister Walid Daouk has hinted at the possibility of holding another two or three meetings starting from Monday, a sign that the committee is unlikely to finalize the policy statement blueprint before the end of June.

Ministerial sources confirmed that the committee had not addressed the STL issue yet, saying the matter will most likely be discussed on Monday. The sources revealed that March 8 Cabinet ministers are clearly seeking to ignore the STL in the policy statement, but, nevertheless, they will leave the matter to Mikati.

The sources said Mikati, in turn, is seeking a balanced blueprint that is acceptable to Cabinet members and one that will not trigger any confrontation with the international community.