Following are summaries of the main stories in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal as well as Pan-Arab dailies Al-Hayat and Asharq al-Awsat Thursday. Other Lebanese newspapers were not published Thursday due to the Islamic holiday Isra and Miraj. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

Al-Mustaqbal: Hezbollah, Syrian regime seeking to disengage Lebanon from tribunal

No new developments surfaced on the Lebanese scene as Lebanon braced for Cabinet’s endorsing of the policy statement. This, however, does not appear soon since the deadlock over how to bring the different viewpoints together regarding the clause dealing with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon remains unchanged and attempts by the new government to divert attention from their differences by suggesting that there is a race between finalization of the policy statement and the indictment which is expected to be issued in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

In this regard, the March 14 coalition has warned the government against the consequences of adopting a stance contrary to the will of the Lebanese in terms of achieving justice for the martyrs, commitment to civil peace and Lebanon’s judicial future.”

March 14 has also warned the government against putting Lebanon in a confrontation with the international legitimacy and U.N. resolutions, particularly 1757 and 1701, pointing out that Hezbollah and the Syrian regime were seeking to break Lebanon's commitment with the STL.

March 14, however, stressed it will “strongly ward off any attempt to evade all of these commitments.

Al-Hayat: Lebanon: Policy statement approval likely within 24 hours after agreement reached on tribunal clause

A committee tasked with drafting the government’s policy statement reached an agreement Wednesday on a formula regarding the STL clause.

Ministerial sources said Cabinet was likely to convene within 24 hours to approve the policy statement.

The STL clause affirmed Lebanon’s respect for international resolutions and follow up the work of the STL, set up to find the truth and justice away from politicization and revenge while not affecting Lebanon’s stability and unity.

The agreement was concluded during a meeting of the ministerial committee Wednesday following behind-the-scene talks between Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

During the one-on-one meeting, Mikati offered Berri a three-point text to the STL clause: 1- Affirms support for the STL to try suspects in the Hariri assassination and achieve justice without politicization, 2- Lebanon’s respect for international resolutions concerning the STL and protection of Lebanon’s civil peace and stability, 3- the  possibility of calling a "national dialogue" meeting to discuss any emergency issue regarding the STL – an item that does not call for putting the STL dispute at the dialogue table.

Sources told Al-Hayat that Berri has rejected the third item. Mikati, however, asked the speaker to seek Hezbollah’s approval for the first two points of the clause.

Asharq al-Awsat: Hezbollah sources: We expect indictments at any moment … with no repercussions

Hezbollah parliamentary sources have uncovered that Mikati had been presented with more than one formula regarding the STL-related policy statement and pointed out that it is up to him to chose the most appropriate text.

They said the consensus text would end “going around” the STL issue instead of going straight to the core. Otherwise, Hezbollah would have asked to include a clause dealing with the controversial issue of the so-called false witnesses in the Hariri assassination.