Prime Minister Najib Miqati denied on Saturday that he held talks with Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare during his visit to New York last month.

“No meeting took place between the premier and Judge Bellemare,” said a statement issued by Miqati’s press office.

Cabinet discussions on the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon kick off next week amid fears that the issue would lead to a protracted crisis that would threaten Premier Najib Miqati’s government.

Cabinet ministers are scheduled to discuss the 2012draft state budget at a session at Baabda palace on Tuesday. The funding of the tribunal is the most controversial topic in the budget.

The General Labor Confederation on Tuesday decided to suspend the strike that was scheduled tomorrow, expressing reservations over the Cabinet's decision along with the Economic committees.

“PM Miqati decided to increase 200,000L.L on the wages ranging from 500,000 and 1 million, and to increase 300,000 L.L on wages ranging from 1 million to 1.5 million as well as increase social services.” Information Minister Walid Daouk stated.

President Michel Suleiman and First Lady Wafaa attended Nadine Labaki’s "Where Do We Go Now?" movie at the Sofil Center cinemas in Ashrafiyeh on Sunday night.

The crowds were surprised when they saw Suleiman entering the movie theater a few minutes before the start of the film.

The General Labor Confederation was on Monday gearing up for a strike that it plans to hold later in the week as its demand for more than doubling the minimum wage is not likely to be approved by the government and business leaders.

GLC President Ghassan Ghosn told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that labor unions would hold the nationwide strike on Wednesday if its calls for increasing wages to LL1,250,000 did not receive any support.

The March 14-led opposition warned against any attempt by the March 8 forces to obstruct the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday.

High-ranking opposition sources said that March 8 is “trapping” PM Najib Miqati to subject the funding issue to vote in the cabinet or turn the file into the parliament.

General Security Chief Abbas Ibrahim visited Syria on Sunday to offer condolences for the Syrian Mufti on his son's assassination last week.

The Mufti appreciated the condolences, and said that the Syrians are paying a high price on "our positions which support the resistance."

The cabinet avoided on Wednesday discussing the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri that is facing controversy over the March 8 forces’ rejection to pay Lebanon’s fees to the STL unless the is amended.

“Nothing has changed, and the funding will not be approved,” sources close to the March 8 forces told al-Liwaa newspaper on Thursday.

Lebanon’s decision to abstain from voting on the U.N. Security Council resolution against the Syrian regime triggered wide reactions locally, especially among the March 8 forces and the March 14-led opposition that strongly criticized it, An Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday.

Sources told the daily that the Foreign Ministry had directed Lebanon's Special Envoy to the U.N. Nawaf Salam to vote against the resolution, but urgent discussions among officials favored that Lebanon abstain from voting.

The Mustaqbal bloc stressed on Tuesday that the executive authority and government in Lebanon are obligated to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “This issue is not open for discussion.”