Najib Miqati’s press office denied on Wednesday that the Premier-designate’s brother went to Damascus the day before to set the stage for a visit by Miqati and President Michel Suleiman to the Syrian capital.

The press office said in a statement that the report about a visit by Taha Miqati to prepare for a meeting that the prime minister-designate and the president would hold with Syrian President Bashar Assad was “untrue.’

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) concluded Wednesday in Amman a series of consultation meetings to discuss the first draft of its upcoming report on an Arab Green Economy, due to be released in October 2011. The AFED report will address the transformations needed to achieve desired economic, social, and environmental sustainability goals in Arab countries. The report will address the enabling strategies and development policies for navigating a green transition in eight sectors: energy, water, agriculture, tourism, waste management, industry, cities/buildings, and transportation. The Arab Green Economy report is the fourth annual report by AFED, and follows publication of three reports, Arab Environment: Future Challenges in 2008, Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries in 2009, and Water: Sustainable Management of a Scarce Resource in 2010.

The consultation meeting in Amman was hosted by the University of Petra (UOP), under the patronage of its President H.E. Dr. Adnan Badran, Former Prime Minister of Jordan and Chairman of AFED Board of Trustees. Fifty officials, authors, experts, business executives and civil society organizations from Jordan and abroad addressed urban city planning, green buildings and tourism. They included H.E. Mr. Khaled Irani, Former Minister of Environment and Energy, H.E. Ms. Suzanne Afanah, Former Minister of Tourism, the report’s main editor Hussein Abaza, and a wide spectrum of participants from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Oman, UAE, Morocco, United Kingdom, USA and Sweden. The meeting discussed specific strategies to institutionalize green practices that reduce energy and water consumption and enhance the quality of life, while promoting economic growth and employment.

Premier-designate Najib Miqati held talks with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace on Wednesday but not did make any statement after the meeting.

Media reports said Miqati discussed with Suleiman the cabinet formation efforts. The talks came amid a continued impasse on the new government due to several obstacles, mainly Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s bickering with Suleiman over the interior ministry portfolio.

The security council of the North announced on Wednesday that it had rejected all requests to stage demonstrations in Tripoli, including Hizb ut-Tahriri’s anti-Syrian regime protest.

It explained that the requests did not meet legal conditions and they would have taken place when Christians in Lebanon would be celebrating Good Friday.

The war of words between al-Mustaqbal movement and the March 8 forces seems not to be abating after Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami said a cabinet session should be held to meet the demands of al-Mustaqbal to summon the Syrian ambassador.

Al-Shami’s press office said Tuesday that “the issue of summoning the Syrian ambassador … requires a cabinet session.”

Speaker Nabih Berri said after meeting with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace on Wednesday that the cabinet formation “gift” on the occasion of the holidays “is on its way but would arrive after Easter.”

Berri also held talks with Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Tuesday night.

Army Chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji has reportedly told top military officers that both Lebanon and Syria had an interest in preserving stability because the security of the two countries is interlinked.

As Safir daily said Wednesday that Qahwaji met with the officers as part of a series of talks he is planning to hold with the top military brass to discuss the latest local and regional developments.

The four Christian leaders who met in Bkirki on Tuesday disagreed on Hizbullah’s weapons, An Nahar daily said, but confirmed that the officials would meet again after the Christian-Muslim summit next month.

An Nahar said Wednesday that the meeting, which was held under the sponsorship of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, was calm. The dialogue began with remarks by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun who defended his alliance with Hizbullah and stressed the need to preserve it.

Caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud on Tuesday noted that the "obstacle hindering the cabinet formation process is not over the interior ministry portfolio," adding that "everyone has the right to demand the interior ministry portfolio," but not at the expense of people who have worked hard in the ministry's service.

Speaking to reporters after an urgent meeting for the country's Central Security Council, Baroud stressed that his ministry's employees should not be attacked. "We have a team that has worked hard in the interior ministry and it should not be treated in this manner," said Baroud.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen on Tuesday held a confidential hearing relating to the request by former General Security chief Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed to obtain documents that relate to his file and which he believes are in the possession of STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, STL’s press office announced.

“The hearing examined which of these documents the Prosecutor should hand over to Mr. Sayyed,” the press office noted in a statement.