Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese and Pan-Arab newspapers Sunday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

Ad-Diyar

A failed state that cannot agree on promotion, diplomatic appointments

Aoun sparks dispute with Mikati and the minimum wage problem close to explode again

Finance Ministry's director general paralyzes the state by spending according to the 2005 budget

Alan Beefani, the director general of the Finance Ministry, has paralyzed the Lebanese state and its work after he issued for the ministry to spend according to the 2005 budget upon the request of [former Gen. Michel] Aoun supporters. Beefani will no doubt deny taking such action under Aoun’s instructions. And from now [we say] that we will not publish Beefani’s response. Beefani has asked all the state institutions to spend according to the 2005 budget while the Lebanese Army alone requires LL845 billion to cover its expenses, similar to any other state institution. And it is still unknown why Aoun attacked Prime Minister Najib Mikati and asked Beefani to take such an action.

The recent developments have shown that we live in a failed state which cannot even promote officers, revealing its deficiency at the level of the Lebanese University and in other matters.

It is also failed in terms of diplomatic appointments.

The minimum wage problem has resurfaced and the conflict between employers and workers has come back. Resolution to such problems is difficult and the government is paralyzed.

An-Nahar

Moscow: [Government] to resign if it does not fund [STL]

Mikati to An-Nahar: We hope for positive results

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon remained a central topic as the country faces a week full of political, security and social issues. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Mikati told An-Nahar that he hopes to reach positive results on the issue of funding and diplomatic sources told An-Nahar about a Russian warning to Lebanon of possible sanctions if it fails to fund its share of the tribunal’s budget.

Mikati's sources refused to respond to attacks by Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun and said: “Mikati does not respond or [wants] to be part of disputes with Aoun or anyone else. He lets the public, who recognize an attack from an allegation and constructive criticism, to judge him based on his work.”

An-Nahar asked Mikati what mechanism would be used to resolve the dispute surrounding the funding of the tribunal. He responded: "We have enough time to continue the efforts we have started that we hope will lead to positive results and to the desired resolution."

In response to another question, Mikati said that he had met former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in while attending the funeral [of former Crown Prince Sultan Abdel-Aziz] in Riyadh and it was natural for the two to shake hands and exchange greetings.

Mikati also said that those opposed to the funding of the tribunal like Hezbollah Chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah did not close all the doors to a possible solution.

Meanwhile, diplomatic sources told An-Nahar that Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry instructed its ambassador [in Lebanon] to tell Lebanese officials that Lebanon has to abide by its obligations toward the STL, and if it does not, Moscow is certain that the [U.N.] Security Council will sanction Lebanon. Moscow commits to its primary position and will not back down.

The sources added that when Hezbollah’s delegation was in Moscow and met with Russia’s foreign affairs minister, the delegation said that both Hezbollah and Aoun oppose the funding of the court. In response, the minister said the government should resign in favor of a government that can abide by its international obligations.

Al-Mustaqbal

Aridi: Audio Visual Council does not have jurisdiction regarding online broadcasting

Tashnaq expels Syrian Kurds from Burj Hammoud

Developments in Syria, either from an escalation by the people's revolution or from the bloody crackdown by the sectarian Baathist regime, dominated the domestic scene Saturday.

There were numerous of stances by the regime’s agents in Lebanon to target members of the Syrian opposition or refugees in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the spirit of the freedom of the press is now intersecting with the decision to undermine the media’s freedom starting with limiting online websites ... at a time of the Arab Spring.

With regard to the kidnappings Syrian opposition members in Lebanon and handing them over to the Syrian regime, Future Movement MP Khaled Daher told Al-Mustaqbal that the Tashnaq has warned Syrian Kurds who participated in demonstrations in front of the Syrian Embassy and given them a notice to leave the area of Burj Hamoud, saying: "There are mobs, not a government in Lebanon." He also described the kidnappings as illegal and overriding the authority of the state and against human rights.

The head of a charity organization for the Kurds Mahmoud Sayala told Al-Mustaqbal that Tashnaq representatives informed Syrian Kurds in Burj Hammoud to leave their homes by Monday and said that they would be fined LL3 million if they didn’t leave. The Tashnaq said the reason behind the decision was because Kurds were drug users. There are some 8,000 Kurds living in Burj Hammoud.

Meanwhile, the methods of oppression seen by the Syrian regime’s agents in Lebanon have had a corollary in the media in terms of the Audio Visual Council's decision to undermine the freedom of online broadcasting. Ghazi Aridi, former information minister and currently the public works minister, told Al-Mustaqbal that the Audio Visual Council was not authorized to decide such things and that it is merely an advisory body and this issue concerns the Information Ministry.

Al-Hayat

Mikati heads the first committee meeting to discuss Shura Council recommendations on minimum wage

Prime Minister Najib Mikati headed the committee in charge of examining the Shura Council's notes on the proposed decree to raise the minimum wage in the face of the rising cost of living. Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas and Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas were in the committee and suggested legal mechanisms to resolve the issue.

Mikati also headed the economic ministerial committee joined by Nahhas and State Minister Marwan Kheireddine who, following the end of the meeting, said: "We have discussed a socio-economic plan and we are preparing for it. We have discussed some details related to various sectors and the possibility of developing some things that serve the Lebanese society. We have, in our first meeting, spoken about a comprehensive plan and today we have begun discussing details."

Mikati also met with Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil and the two discussed developments and the ministry's work. After the meeting, Khalil said: "I have discussed with Mikati activities related to the Health Ministry and projects that are under way to better organize the medical sector and also the ministry’s strategy for health care coverage."

At his residence in Tripoli, Mikati also met with Lebanese University teachers who thanked the prime minister on his efforts to approve their demands and expressed hope he would work on putting the item before Parliament for final approval.