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

An-Nahar

Cabinet to appoint [Lebanese] University president Wednesday

“Gefinor” after “ESCWA” ... [attempt] to intimidate the U.N.?

Cabinet will hold a meeting at the presidential palace Wednesday afternoon – a session that is significant not at the political level but in terms of the dozens of items on its agenda that will address vital issues in various sectors.

Among the 159 items on Cabinet’s agenda is the appointment of a new president for the state-run Lebanese University. Five names are being thrown around as possible successors to Zuheir Shukr. They are: Hasan Zeineddine, Zainab Saad, Ali Ahmad Rammal, Ali Haidar Alaaeddine and former Cabinet Minister Adnan Sayyed Hussein.

Cabinet will also discuss a bill that allows the government to borrow in foreign currency and another bill to amend the salary scale for teachers at the Lebanese University.

Also on Cabinet’s agenda is a draft law to issue treasury bonds in foreign currency to pay off state debts to hospitals which is estimated at around LL120 billion.

Meanwhile, the issue of security measures taken around the U.N. headquarters in Downtown Beirut has become even more complicated when a U.N. office in the Gefinor Center in Beirut was evacuated after a bomb threat Monday.

Al-Mustaqbal

President [Sleiman] criticizes "Wikileaks," stresses adherence to spirit of Doha Accord

Mikati secretly visited Damascus airport to meet Moallem, Rustom Ghazaleh

A Western diplomatic source told Al-Mustaqbal that while Prime Minister Najib Mikati was flying to Paris for a “friends of Libya” conference, he made a secret stopover at Damascus airport where he met for two hours with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and former Syrian intelligence chief Rustom Ghazaleh.

The source said Moallem asked Mikati to test the pulse of the U.S. administration, particularly U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, regarding the willingness of the Syrian leadership to swap "facilities" in Palestine and Iraq in return for easing U.S. pressure on the Syrian regime and help ease international pressure on it.

Meanwhile, commenting on the "Wikileaks" documents following a meeting with former Defense Minister Elias Murr, President Michel Sleiman urged an end to the political bickering and called for putting the issue of the published U.S. cables in the past.

Ad-Diyar

To avoid further embarrassment … Cabinet withdraws issue of STL funding from media debate

Security measures around ESCWA to remain in place

Bickering over funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), particularly following pledges made by Prime Minister Najib Mikati in New York, has prompted Mikati to withdraw this issue from being discussed in the Lebanese media in an effort to prevent further embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi denied reports that sanctions might be imposed on Lebanon in the event Lebanon did not commit to international resolutions, including those relating to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Ad-Diyar has learned that security measures around ESCWA will remain in place after officials acknowledged U.N. concerns in Beirut following a series of bombings targeted U.N. staff in Iraq and Nigeria.

Al-Akhbar

ESCWA backs down on threat

Without knowing the real truth behind the strict measures taken to protect ESCWA headquarters in Downtown Beirut, security measures were relaxed Monday and a traffic ban was reduced to and from the U.N. House as work was under way to provide a temporary building until employees can move to Dbayyeh. The threat against ESCWA dismissed!

Al-Liwaa

Jumblatt returned [from Paris] without meeting Hariri

There is talk of serious political deadlock in the wake of break in talks between the various political parties. Even a meeting that was said to be held in Paris between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, on the sidelines of a social occasion, did not materialize.

Jumblatt returned to Beirut Monday evening without meeting Hariri, who remained in Saudi Arabia and did not travel to Paris.