Hizbullah has mediated with the Free Patriotic Movement to prevent an escalation in the dispute over the electricity draft law proposed by FPM chief Michel Aoun, March 8 sources have told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.

The dispute began when Aoun threatened to pull his ministers from the cabinet after opposition MPs and lawmakers allied with him rejected the draft law that allows Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, who is Aoun’s son-in-law, to spend $1.2 billion on building power plants without referring to the cabinet.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s recent statement on Lebanese affairs is aimed at “preempting developments” in order to prevent further debate over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a leading official in the March 14 camp told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Saturday.

He justified this position by saying that the tribunal is no longer up for discussion as it was approved based on United Nations Security Council resolution 1757 and an agreement at the national dialogue in 2006.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil quarreled over the electricity file during a cabinet session that was held at the Baabda Palace on Thursday, forcing President Michel Suleiman to intervene to end the dispute.

Earlier this week, parliament failed to approve an electricity draft law proposed by FPM leader MP Michel Aoun that allows Bassil to receive $1,200,000,000 to implement a project on producing 700 Megawatts of electricity.

The Higher Defense Council stressed on Friday consolidated measures to prevent arms smuggling and preserve the safety of U.N. peacekeepers deployed in the South.

The council, which met at Baabda palace under President Michel Suleiman, said in a short statement that “discussions focused on the security situation in the country in general and the role of the army, Internal Security Forces and the rest of security apparatuses in preserving the nation.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to head to Beirut next week to meet with top Lebanese officials, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

“Abbas will visit Lebanon on Aug. 16 and 17,” Palestinian sources told the daily.

The cabinet met at Baabda palace at 10:30 am Thursday as Energy Minister Jebran Bassil will ask the government to make its stance clear on a controversial electricity draft law discussed in parliament the day before, As Safir daily said.

Bassil is expected to tell cabinet ministers that they should have a unanimous stance on the bill or else it would fail in its first important test since its formation, the newspaper reported.

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour’s visit to Damascus aimed at showing solidarity with the Syrian regime, saying that it was a shameful moment that portrayed Lebanon as the only Arab supporter of the regime that “is committing massacres against its people.”

It said in statement after its weekly meeting: “We urge President Michel Suleiman to summon Lebanon’s Ambassador to Syria in order to hold consultations on the developments there.”

The cabinet session that is expected to be held on Thursday will be a standard meeting, as it is expected to be brief and followed by the Iftar held by President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace.

A governmental source told al-Liwaa newspaper on Wednesday that the appointments in public institutions will not be on the cabinet’s agenda anytime soon.

The cabinet met on Monday with no planned appointments of civil servants to state institutions on its agenda, Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s sources told al-Mustaqbal daily.

The sources said the session that convened at the Grand Serail at 10:00 am is a continuation of the previous meeting to discuss the remaining 95 items on its agenda.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Sunday that national dialogue would be resumed in Lebanon in order for all the concerned sides to reach an agreement on a national defense strategy.

He said while addressing President Michel Suleiman during his Sunday sermon: “We hope you will be able to fulfill your pledge of resuming dialogue.”