A heated debate erupted during Wednesday’s cabinet session over designating funds to be spent given the lack of an approved state budget, reported As Safir newspaper on Thursday.

The dispute had initially started during Monday’s cabinet session.

The dispute in the Jbeil District town of Lassa is not between political parties or movements, it is rather a property rights dispute and it will be tackled in a spirit of dialogue and coexistence, the media department of the Maronite Patriarchate said Thursday in a statement.

The statement was issued following a meeting in Bkirki on Wednesday for the follow-up committee that emerged from the recent broad Maronite meeting in Bkirki.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said on Thursday that he will not give up on Internal Security Chief Maj.-Gen. Ashraf Rifi, al-Mustaqbal newspaper reported.

“Rifi is one of the best officers committed to implementing the law,” he told the daily.

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Commander Major General Alberto Asarta revealed that he suggested that the international force act as a mediator between Lebanon and Israel in demarcating the maritime border.

He told Al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published on Thursday that he hopes that this issue will be resolved during his tenure and that efforts would be made to completely designate the Blue Line as well.

The cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Lebanon’s energy and water ministry and Iran’s oil ministry, Information Minister Walid al-Daouq said.

The MOU includes “a cooperation agreement in the field of energy worth $50 million,” Al-Manar television reported.

Prime Minister Fouad Saniora stated on Wednesday that the Mustaqbal bloc’s call that Hizbullah’s arms be the only issue at the national dialogue table cannot be considered as a precondition seeing as this is the only issue left to be discussed at the table.

Saniora said in a statement: “We are all aspiring for the rise of the fair and capable state, which controls the arms and is able of confronting Israel.”

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed that Lebanon is determined to defend its rights and it will not tolerate the violation of its land, water or oil wealth.

He declared during Wednesday’s parliamentary meeting that Lebanon will confront any Israeli attempt to take advantage of Lebanon’s maritime border and offshore resources.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly had an introductory courtesy call on Wednesday with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour at the Minister's offices in Ashrafieh.

Connelly and Mansour discussed the ongoing areas of bilateral cooperation between the various ministries and agencies of the Lebanese government and the U.S. government.

The March 14 general-secretariat hinted on Wednesday that national dialogue became useless after the Syria-Hizbullah alliance decided on behalf of the Lebanese to prevent the state from owning arms.

“Dialogue became useless after three years of time wasting and after the regional-local axis decided on behalf of the Lebanese what their state should not possess,” the general-secretariat said following its weekly meeting.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat announced on Wednesday that Lebanon is committed to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s decisions, adding however that this does not mean that foreign meddling in Lebanon is permitted.

He made his statements after holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his ongoing visit to Russia.