Speaker Nabih Berri said Tuesday that an approval of the decrees on the implementation of the oil exploration law will be the culmination of the government’s achievements.

In remarks to An Nahar daily, Berri said that the approval expected to be made by the cabinet on Wednesday will be “a vital achievement and the energy ministry will implement its mission … to open the door for (the operations of oil exploration) companies.”

Premier Najib Miqati held talks on Tuesday with the head of the Civil Service Council, Khaled Qabbani, on the appointment of top civil servants, which had faced the obstacle of lack of political consensus among the major parties.

Qabbani stated after the meeting: “The mechanism that was approved by cabinet will determine the appointments of top civil servants.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Monday denied a media report claiming he was unconvinced with the wage hike decree proposed by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, who was nominated by him for the ministerial post.

“Every now and then, some media reports attribute stances to him (Aoun) or to FPM sources and they (media outlets) claim to read his intentions in order to come up with the conclusions they see fit,” Aoun’s press office said in a statement.

Lebanese businessman Nadi Rayyes died in the Ivory Coast on Monday after a private jet he was on board crashed due to poor weather conditions as it was flying from a coastal region to the capital Abidjan.

Lebanon’s Ambassador to the Ivory Coast Ali Ajami stated that the Rayyes owns two publications in Abidjan.

President Michel Suleiman praised the United Arab Emirates for embracing the Lebanese community there, the Emirates News Agency reported on Monday.

WAM quoted Suleiman as hailing the country for “embracing the largest Lebanese community that lives in a tolerant and diverse community and contributes through the expertise of its citizens and their capabilities to the development process of the UAE.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed on Monday the need to establish a democratic civil state in Lebanon that respects all values and stands as an example for the East.

He said before a Hizbullah delegation in Jbeil: “The state must separate between religion and politics … but not separate politics from God.”

Iran has dramatically expanded its diplomatic missions throughout Latin America and dispatched members of its elite Quds Force to serve in its embassies “to carry out covert activities” with the assistance of Hizbullah, U.S. officials have said.

The Washington Post quoted former U.S. intelligence officials as saying that “the presence of Quds Force officers and other military personnel in diplomatic missions enhances Iran’s ability to carry out covert activities, sometimes in conjunction with members of the Iran-backed Hizbullah militant group that operates extensive networks in Latin America and maintains ties with drug cartels.”

Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh defended Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn over his statements on the presence of al-Qaida in Lebanon, saying

President Michel Suleiman and Premier Najib Miqati know that the information is true.

Former Premier Saad Hariri slammed the Syrian regime on Monday for killing more protestors despite the presence of observers seeking to implement an Arab deal endorsed by Syria.

“It’s unbelievable,” Hariri tweeted, adding that the Syrian regime said it wants reform and signed the Arab protocol but continued its deadly crackdown on protestors.

Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud called on Monday for the revival of a deal reached between the Economic Committees and the General Labor Confederation on the minimum wage or for adjusting the cabinet’s decision.

In remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio station (100.5), Abboud said: “We could either revive the agreement reached between the Economic Committees and the GLC or the roadmap put by (Labor Minister Charbel) Nahhas for more realistic numbers that go along with the economic situation in the country.”