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.

An-Nahar

Will Berri back down from his initiative?

Will Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri back down from his call for dialogue, especially when the issue of Hezbollah’s arms has become a primary condition for the March 14 forces to join the dialogue?

What Al-Manar quoted Berri Friday as saying has become a source of confusion in terms of his proposal for dialogue, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and decisions made under former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, decisions that were issued after the withdrawal of Amal Movement ministers over the issue of the tribunal.

Al-Manar quoted Berri as saying: “Those who think the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons is up for discussion are mistaken,” Berri said, insisting on the need for a national defense strategy.

He said: “They should take it from me. [The strategy] is the tripartite formula of ‘the army, the people, and the resistance,’ and they can rearrange [the order] whatever way they want.”

He also made it clear that he did not officially discuss with President Michel Sleiman his proposal for dialogue but that he would contact him soon.

On another note, Berri spoke about his meeting with Siniora where the two, according to Berri, discussed decisions made by Siniora following the resignation of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah ministers during Siniora’s term as prime minister, saying: “These decisions [taken in that Cabinet] are only destined to be cancelled.”

“Discussing the matter of the tribunal comes in different parts, one on whether it is constitutional or not and the other on its establishment. Lebanese democracy ensures that the issue be placed for a vote in Cabinet, or if they want, [it could put to a vote] in Parliament and they are welcome to do that.”

Berri expressed puzzlement with why the West had asked [former] Prime Minister Saad Hariri about Lebanon’s commitment toward the tribunal eight months after the formation of his Cabinet while they have been asking [Prime Minister Najib] Mikati’s Cabinet since its formation. “Why the hurry?” he asked.

As-Safir

The U.S. is entitled to what Lebanon is not

When the U.S. announced it would stop funding UNESCO as a punishment for the organization for granting Palestine full membership, Hezbollah saw this as a gift. Hezbollah MP Hasan Fadlallah said in a statement in Parliament that the U.S. should be facing repercussions because it failed to commit to its international obligations and went against the will of the international community. He said that such an action should prompt international sanctions and isolation of the U.S.

Fadlallah, attempting to demonstrate the double standard that exists within some domestic political parties, urged them to take a stand and work to sanction the U.S.

Yesterday, Siniora urged the Arab League, Arab presidents and Muslim and Western countries to take the initiative and collect and pay the amount that the U.S. and Israel used to pay [to UNESCO]. With this step, according to Siniora, we could easily defeat the Israeli and American ways of extortion, intimidation and pressure to gain dominance.”

Siniora did not hear Fadlallah’s suggestions or maybe he heard it well, so he came up with a position that conflicts with his previous ones: What the U.S. is entitled to, Lebanon is not, meaning, Lebanon’s failure to fund the tribunal could be met with sanctions and international isolation, but America’s failure to fund UNESCO can be replaced with Arab funding.

This single criterion cannot be seen as a solution to deal with the issue of funding the tribunal which was created via a U.N. resolution.

Al-Balad

Eid holiday postpones controversial issues

While the country began its Adha holiday, which extends until the middle of next week, President Michel Sleiman has intensified his efforts aimed at revising the national dialogue committee with the support of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in a bid to prepare for discussions over the election law proposed by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel before the end of the year. The Cabinet will begin discussing the issue during its Nov. 11 session.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Mikati is using his trip to Britain to gain more international support for hi s government and discuss its relationship with the international community in light of the issue of funding for the tribunal that is required before the end of November.

Funding of the tribunal was a key topic in discussions between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt when they met in Paris two weeks ago, according to parliamentary sources. They added that the two discussed the tribunal in the presence of Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi and they agreed on the importance of funding the tribunal and the steps that could be adopted in case the government fails to fund, including the resignation of Jumblatt’s ministers from Mikati’s Cabinet.

Kuwait newspaper Al-Anbaa reported that a meeting between Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and head of the Future Movement Block Fouad Siniora was the first of its kind since the formation of Mikati’s Cabinet and Siniora’s departure from the Grand Serail. The meeting included various issues such as funding the tribunal.

Al-Joumhouria

Discussing side issues to postpone explosion within the Cabinet

The country began the Eid holiday, which extends into next week, as political activity enters a recession that should pick up after the holiday with consecutive Cabinet sessions, some of which will discuss the draft budget for 2012, others the proposed electoral law.

There is also the issue of the minimum wage after the Shura Council revealed that the Cabinet had violated the labor law in the decree to raise the minimum wage. This comes amid indications that the labor unions might strike if the increase is not approved and while the private sector continues to reject any proposal.

Political and diplomatic sources are carefully observing the measures adopted by Lebanese leaders to postpone matters that are most dangerous and which affect Lebanon’s relationship with the international community and organizations while the country holds a permanent member status at the U.N. Security Council until the end of the year.

These sources noted that [the government] was dealing with side issues, postponing the discussion on the tribunal, which is a standing issue that cannot be hidden, in a bid to postpone an internal explosion following the series of experiences that the Cabinet went through like the electricity bill, military and security promotions and the proposed electoral law.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced during a televised interview last night that he had not officially discussed reviving dialogue with President Michel Sleiman but that he would do that soon, especially that [Sleiman] is the one who called for it officially. He also spoke about his meeting with [former] Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, saying that he had told Siniora to think before giving any answers.