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.

An-Nahar

Mikati: Nasrallah did not say ‘no’ to [STL] funding

Berri for unconditional dialogue

Political activity will ease until the end of Eid al-Adha at the middle of next week when Cabinet is expected to launch a series of meetings to discuss the new election draft law, in addition to regular sessions devoted to the agendas amid President Michel Sleiman’s hopes of the bill getting approval in December.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati will leave Beirut for London Friday on a private trip, prior to an official visit starting Monday during which he will meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior British officials.

On the eve of the visit, Mikati told BBC in an interview that Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has not ruled out funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Regarding national dialogue, Speaker Nabih Berri renewed his call for all-party talks.

Berri told An-Nahar that he "believes that the circumstances Lebanon and the region is passing through require the various [political] sides to engage in dialogue.”

He said former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora had promised him he would contact his allies in the March 14 coalition to push for resumption of dialogue.

“The [political] storms [hitting] the region necessitate that Lebanese sit at the dialogue table under the umbrella of President Michel Sleiman,” Berri said.

Al-Joumhouria

Mikati to Moscow after Britain

Syrian embassy keeps watch on Syrian nationals in Lebanon

All eyes are turned to Syria to see what Friday’s anti-regime "peaceful protest" is going to be like following President Bashar Assad’s approval of an Arab plan to end the seven-month bloodshed.

In Lebanon, the Cabinet will meet Nov. 10 and 11 after Eid al-Adha.

In the meantime, Lebanese concerns mounted over repercussions of the tensions in Syria, which began to weigh on the Lebanese internal situation amid growing fear of a return to a period of assassinations.

What backed up these fears were security sources who pointed out to Al-Joumhouria the return of some Palestinian organizations that had a role during the 1975-1990 Civil War. While groups – such as al-Saika [a Palestinian political and military faction created and controlled by Syria] – have resumed political activity in Lebanon, the pro-Syrian Fatah Intifada-Abu Musa has boosted both its security and military presence in the central Bekaa region.

Well-informed sources told Al-Joumhouria that Syrian security services have recently reshuffled troops deployed along the border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, as part of an effective plan to curb arms smuggling between the two countries and attempts by fundamentalists and Salafists to infiltrate into Syria.

The sources said Lebanese and Syrian army officers have been holding unannounced meetings to follow up on the border security situation.

They said Syrian security measures focus on keeping records of Syrian workers traveling to work in Lebanon and finding out the type of their work and their contacts and relationships as well as places and areas frequented in Lebanon.

The sources said a copy of the data collected on each Syrian national is being sent to the Syrian Embassy in Lebanon as well as to Hezbollah to monitor their movements.

As-Safir

Moscow rejects any tampering with global and regional strategic balances

Diplomatic report monitors Russian position on regional developments: advice given to Lebanon to control its border with Syria ... prevent arms smuggling

Brotherly and friendly countries do not hesitate to provide Lebanon with advice on the need to maintain both political and security stability and not to take paths that would have severe consequences on Lebanon, in light of a changing reality in the Arab world.

A diplomatic report coming from a decisionmaking country and sent to Lebanese authorities points out that Lebanon "has always been a fertile security ground where others tamper on its arena, using it to exchange messages, an issue which requires, at this stage, Lebanese awareness of the seriousness of the current situation.”

“Everybody must work toward eliminating all the factors of internal tension and respond to calls for dialogue without hesitation and without conditions, because the challenges are threatening everyone and do not distinguish between one [political] team and another, " according to the report.

The report notes that Russia will “not stand idly in front of what is going on in the region, particularly since the events will have severe repercussions on its interests and its historical ties with regional countries, especially Syria.”

The gravity with which Russia has engaged with regional developments is unprecedented, as it rejects attempts to tamper with global and regional strategic balances.

The report speaks about the stability Russia wants for Lebanon and reflects its keenness not to expose Lebanon to any risk, and expresses hope that the various Lebanese political leaders will realize the magnitude of the dangers surrounding Lebanon and not allow anyone to interfere in Lebanese internal affairs or influence their decisionmaking.

The report also highlights Russia’s willingness to help Lebanon in various areas and reiterates Moscow’s support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon after it became an international reality.

Russia also advised Lebanon not to “negatively interfere” in Syria. Most important, it said, was that Lebanon control its border with Syria and distance itself from the events in the region and understand the sensitivity of the historical relationship between the two countries.

It also strongly recommended that arms smuggling into Syria be subject to “serious” investigation.

Al-Liwaa

Siniora prepares technique to resolve issue of LL8.9 bln [allocations] … Safadi warns against state department paralysis

Lebanese are busy preparing for the holiday amid an unprecedented economic crisis.

Information made available to Al-Liwaa uncovered that the head of the Future parliamentary bloc Fouad Siniora promised Speaker Nabih Berri – during a private meeting that followed Wednesday’s legislative session – to present a vision for fund allocations worth LL 8.9 billion after the bloc voiced reservations that the amount was enormous and should be part of a comprehensive plan.