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.

As-Safir

Nasrallah follows up STL session ... Jumblatt advises him to approve [STL] funding

Western pressure on Lebanon mounts

Repercussions of the Syrian crisis continued to be felt in Lebanon with rival political parties bickering over the issue.

Meanwhile, all eyes are turned to The Hague where the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will hold a hearing session Friday to look into the possibility of setting a date for in absentia trials.

Western envoys continued to pour into Beirut to monitor Lebanon’s response regarding sanctions against Syria and STL funding.

In this regard, U.S. Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser met Thursday Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh as well as a number of representatives of the Lebanese banking sector.

As-Safir has learned that Glaser was briefed on the measures adopted by the Lebanese banks to stop the entry of questionable money. Glaser reportedly voiced satisfaction.

On another front, MP Walid Jumblatt advised Hezbollah to approve financing the STL, adding that failing to pass the funding would be a “political mistake.”

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah will also give a speech Friday on the occasion of the party’s Martyrs Day. Nasrallah is expected to announce a number of stances concerning developments in Lebanon and the region in light of repercussions of the Syrian crisis and mounting global pressure on Lebanon to fund the STL and suspend Lebanon-Syria ties.

Al-Joumhouria

Opposition surprised by the timing of Syria’s Central Bank [decision] to open an account in Lebanon’s Central Bank

Political circles await Nasrallah’s speech Friday even though Hezbollah announced through Sheikh Nabil Qaouq that it has “thousands of martyrs who are ready to respond to any Israeli aggression, thus making the greatest victory ever.”

Qaouq stressed that Hezbollah’s weapons will “remain a fundamental pillar of the resistance’s strategy."

As the U.S. Treasury official, Glaser, held talks with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, a French Foreign Ministry envoy shuttled Thursday between party leaders, meeting the head of the Future parliamentary bloc, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Hezbollah international relations officer Ammar Moussawi, MP Sleiman Franjieh and officials from the Phalange Party and the Lebanese Forces.

French diplomatic sources told Al-Joumhouria that the envoy was “comfortable” in his meetings as he received “positive responses” in respect to the issues of Lebanon’s international relations and financing the STL.

However, the sources said these assurances had not necessarily been made during talks with the Hezbollah delegation as the details of the discussions between Hezbollah and the French envoy were not revealed.

Opposition sources, meanwhile, told Al-Joumhouria that while the procedure for Syria’s Central Bank to open an account at Lebanon’s Central bank is considered legal, what raised suspicion was the timing of opening the account.

The sources argued that the account was opened after the issuance of the first batch of European sanctions against Syria, raising fears that this measure was an attempt to evade sanctions.

Al-Liwaa

Glaser’s threat: Sanctions on Lebanon’s Central Bank unless measures taken against Syria

Jumblatt warns Hezbollah against mistake of not funding STL

As Cabinet struggles to restore international and Arab confidence in Lebanon and is fighting what it describes as “rumors” about imminent security shake-ups over the repercussions of the unrest in Syria on Lebanon, Mikati and Salameh were under obvious pressure from Glaser: the international community will not hesitate to impose direct sanctions on the Central Bank if Syria deposited money in Lebanon.

Al-Mustaqbal

Bellemare baffles Lebanese authorities, Hezbollah by hinting at a ‘conspiracy’ that will keep the 4 accused ... free

STL looks into launching trials in absentia

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will hold its first hearing.

Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare will reiterate through his representative at Friday’s meeting (due to his absence for health reasons) his stance on a report he submitted to the court on Nov. 2.

And the Office of Defense which is headed by Frenchman Francois Roux believes that in principle a trial in absentia should not take place for the sake of preserving the rights of the accused – only in exceptional cases.

While Bellemare’s office remained silent on his health situation, the reasons given by the prosecutor’s office for its refusal to launch a trial in absentia has shocked both Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah because the prosecutor's office – through its keenness to hold a trial in absentia only as a "last resort" – said Lebanese authorities had not all done their best to arrest the four accused but succumbed to Hezbollah’s will, according to an STL source speaking to Al-Mustaqbal on condition of anonymity.

The source said the STL considers an in absentia trial as a “way out and not a measure of justice.”

An-Nahar

Lebanon-U.S. understanding to ‘neutralize’ banking sector

Lebanese Army denies Syrians kidnapped in Lebanon

While the government, along with military authorities, sought to dispel the security image that emerged as a result of the opposition's campaign regarding the kidnapping of Syrian dissidents or handing them over to Syrian authorities, harsh messages by Glaser caused concerns for the government as well as for the banking and financial sectors.

An-Nahar has learned from sources who participated in the meetings with Glaser that the atmosphere was “positive,” and that the U.S. was "not targeting the Lebanese banking sector at all."

Meanwhile, a senior military official told An-Nahar that according to Lebanese Army intelligence reports “there are no Syrians kidnapped in Lebanon.”

“Neither did the [Lebanese] Army hand over any [Syrian] suspect to Syrian authorities,” added the official.