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

Governmental crisis stuck in stalemate and mediation efforts stalled

March 14 to mark Feb. 14 at BIEL, Hariri to appear via video link

The government situation appears to be shrouded in mystery after Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the suspension of Cabinet sessions [over sharp differences with ministers from Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc].

Meanwhile, head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt defended Mikati while strongly criticizing pro-Aoun Cabinet ministers.

Sources in the majority told An-Nahar that there was no clear-cut process on how to deal with the government situation, adding that efforts would certainly move toward bridging the gap by patching up the situation and not by means of a radical solution.

The sources questioned the timing of Mikati’s move. Was it to avoid a dilemma over extending the protocol agreement with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon? Was to avoid the outcome of the Lebanese-Syrian border report given that Lebanon received Wednesday names of people on the wanted list? Or was it in preparation for his visit to Paris?

An-Nahar has learned that no contacts had been made with Gen. Michel Aoun regarding what happened during Wednesday’s Cabinet session.

Energy Minister Jibran Bassil, who visited Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai at Bkirki Thursday evening, told An-Nahar: "We are not the ones who took a decision to boycott Cabinet sessions ... We will attend the meeting when one is called.”

Bassil said he briefed Maronite Patriarch [Beshara Rai] on “what really happened, because it is not an ordinary dispute.”

“The prime minister has asked us to choose between diminishing our powers or suspension of the work of the Cabinet,” Bassil said.

Not even Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has held any contacts with Mikati or Aoun.

Following days of consultations, the March 14 coalition has decided to mark the Feb. 14 assassination anniversary of statesman Rafik Hariri at BEIL in Downtown Beirut. An-Nahar has learned that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is likely to deliver a speech via video-link.

The March 14 coalition also agreed to hold a rally on March 14 to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the alliance.

As-Safir

Government awaits reactivation

If we were to simplify things, we could say that the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati is facing a curable political crisis.

But if we were to blow up the issue, we could say that Lebanon not only faces a government in a sulk, but also an unsolvable political crisis under the title “dispute over appointments,” with the real issue behind the crisis being related to regional and international considerations and options.

And between this logic and that we can deduce that the government has so far failed to prove its cohesion and homogeneity.

As for Walid Jumblatt, he has decided to disassociate himself from the current Cabinet crisis.

When asked on whether he was involved in mediation efforts to resolve the dispute between Mikati and [Free Patriotic Movement head MP Michel] Aoun, he said: “I have nothing to do with this.”

However, he told the Kalam el-Nass talk show on LBCI Thursday evening that all issues could be resolved and that talks should resume with Aoun.

“We must remain in the majority in order to preserve the country and we can deal with the issue of appointments quietly,” Jumblatt said.

Al-Mustaqbal

Sleiman committed to competence-based, not quota-based appointments; Mikati rules out sulking or resigning

The coup government has entered a phase full of disputes and it seems unlikely that it will come out of this stage any time soon given that each party is committed to its position as well as the insistence by Cabinet ministers loyal to [Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel] Aoun and lawmakers that they have exclusive rights on selecting Christian appointments.

While Prime Minister Najib Mikati fell short of calling for his sulking or resignation, President Michel Sleiman stressed that he was committed to the principle of “competence-based appointments .... and not appointments based on quotas at the expense of proficiency.”

Al-Balad

Berri seeks help from Rai while Jumblatt seeks help from Hezbollah

Prime Minister Najib Mikati has made clear that the nature of the stage following Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting will not be one of sulking or resignation but a stalemate in light of some parties seeking to disrupt the work of the government.

Cabinet Minister Marwan Kheireddine expected a prolonged suspension of Cabinet meetings for several weeks but said mediation efforts were under way to resolve the Cabinet crisis.

Meanwhile, ministers loyal to [Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel] Aoun rejected attempts to confiscate their powers.

MP Walid Jumblatt said “our allies, Hezbollah and Amal [Movement] are required to talk to Gen. Michel Aoun.”

He said President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati “have the right to appoint anybody.”

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, for his part, dispatched his political aide, Hasan Khalil, to Bkirki for talks with Patriarch [Beshara] Rai given that the nature of the conflict is Maronite-Maronite – between Sleiman and Aoun.