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.

Al-Liwaa

Sleiman conveys message to Ahmadinejad asking that he respect Lebanon’s sovereignty

Bassil threatens to destabilize electricity in Beirut?

As tension mounts in the region and fighting intensifes between Iran and the Western axis, Syria is preparing for confrontation on both the Arab and international levels after refusing the “Yemeni-like” Arab League plan proposed Saturday.

Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, MP Walid Jumblatt called on Druze serving in the Syrian Arab Army to rebel against orders.

"Isn’t it time for Druze soldiers to reject military orders to kill their fellow Syrian citizens in Homs, Hama, Idlib and other Syrian areas and to, at least, stay home?"

Energy Minister Jibran Bassil told a news conference Monday that the electricity crisis is growing.

He stressed that there had been no major investments in the energy sector for the past 16 years and that this had led to a major decline in electricity supply.

He said some [officials] were hindering his projects. He also noted that the amount of available electricity could not keep up with the deficit unless "Beirut is made equal to other areas."

Bassil said the crisis has dragged on since former Prime Minister Saad Hariri gave orders to provide Beirut with 21 hours of electricity “which is unacceptable, especially in times of crisis.”

Separately, President Michel Sleiman briefed Cabinet Monday about the Iranian Ambassador’s visit to him earlier in the day; the ambassador sought to clarify controversial comments made by an Iranian general.

Sleiman said Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi denied comments attributed to the head of Iran’s Quds Force, whose words were interpreted by many to mean that south Lebanon falls under Iran’s influence.

He told ministers that he conveyed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Lebanon's keenness to boost bilateral and friendly ties with sister countries based on mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.

Ad-Diyar

Cabinet ignores electricity crisis

Transportation allowance disagreement freezes pay hikes decision

Cabinet ignored the electricity crisis Monday despite protests that have engulfed Lebanon over the past several days.

Cabinet also failed to discuss the non-signing of a government decision on pay hikes by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas.

This could lead to the freezing of the wage increase issue once again and the return of political bickering.

An-Nahar

Equalizing Beirut with other areas threatens to heighten tension over electricity

Mikati to Paris Feb. 10

Although Cabinet was slated to debate the 2012 state budget, two issues from outside the agenda – electricity and incidents on Lebanon’s northern border with Syria – came to the fore.

During its meeting Monday, Cabinet decided to postpone budget discussions until next week.  

Prime Minister Najib Mikati will meet Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi Tuesday to discuss Mikati’s approach to the budget issue.

Political rhetoric and bickering stepped up Monday following increased demands for equal power distribution and Bassil's latest statement.

Bassil told An-Nahar late Monday that he will soon decide to “either equalize Beirut with all areas, as it is not acceptable to give [the administrative center of] Beirut 21 hours of electricity while Sin el-Fil gets only 11 [hours], or electricity distribution will be commensurate with fees collected and also subject to electricity theft.”

Meanwhile, An-Nahar has learned that Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s visit to Paris has been scheduled for Feb.10.

Al-Mustaqbal

Paris denounces Syrian crime in Arida ... Accountability bureau tackles fuel oil scandal

Cabinet was expected to discuss the issue of border control between Lebanon and Syria.

Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn told Al-Mustaqbal that the weekend incident in Arida had "nothing to do with the border control issue.”

France strongly condemned the Arida incident and demanded that the Syrian authorities refrain from the use of violence.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a statement: "We condemn the firing by Syrian security forces on Jan. 21 that led to the killing of a Lebanese teenager and the wounding of another citizen at the northern maritime border between Syria and Lebanon, near the coast of Arida in north Lebanon.”

“We also condemn the ill-treatment of a third Lebanese citizen by Syrian forces during his arrest,” Valero added.

Meanwhile, reactions to the red fuel oil scandal mounted as MP Mohammad Hajjar filed a complaint Monday with the Prosecutor General Accountability Bureau requesting an investigation into media reports that Energy Minister Jibran Bassil ordered the distribution of large quantities of red fuel oil on the eve of the end of the subsidy.

Sources confirmed that the prime minister’s office intends to have the matter looked into.