Lebanon commemorated on Tuesday its 68th independence anniversary in downtown Beirut, marking the liberation from the French Mandate which was exercised over Lebanese soil for over 23 years.

President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, and Speaker Nabih Berri headed the officials that joined the celebrations marking the country’s independence.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Tuesday that Lebanon is facing a struggle over asserting the role of the state in controlling the country and combating attempts to impose the role of the “statelet” over it.

He said before a delegation of NDU students: “It is a battle between two different points of view, one that calls for the rule of the state institutions and army and the other that does not believe in the state and that opposes the Arab and international communities.”

Lebanon’s midfielder Rida Antar who inspired the country’s historic victory against South Korea during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers was chosen as Goal.com’s player of the week.

The website recognized the player for his role in the victory, a first by Lebanon against the Asian nation.

The President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge Sir David Baragwanath, will arrive in Lebanon on Wednesday, al-Liwaa newspaper reported.

Baragwanath will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail to reiterate the importance of paying Lebanon’s dues to the tribunal before December 15, the daily said on Tuesday.

The head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora is preparing to file a lawsuit against the head of the Finance and Budget Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan, revealed al-Liwaa newspaper on Tuesday.

The former prime minister had accused the MP of being ignorant of financial affairs.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati will not include the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on the cabinet’s agenda for this week’s sessions, An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Ministerial sources told the daily that Miqati will include the STL article on the session scheduled to be held on November 30 after he returns from his visit to the Vatican.

Speaker Nabih Berri is annoyed at the lack of contacts with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Berri’s visitors told the daily that he doesn’t want the political boycott to last any further, expressing relief after al-Mustaqbal bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora attended a dinner banquet held in honor of visiting Brazilian Vice-President Michel Temer.

An American official stressed that espionage will always be fraught with dangers, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.

He told the newspaper that collecting information about enemies who are always trying to uncover spies within their ranks will always be a risky matter.

Head of the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, former premier Fouad Saniora, warned Monday that “those who disavow the Special Tribunal for Lebanon would be exposing Lebanon to danger.”

In an interview on MTV, Saniora said “financing is one of the aspects of dealing with the tribunal, but respecting the protocol signed between the Lebanese state and the STL is what’s important.”

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel on Monday announced the arrest of three people in connection with Wednesday’s ransacking of the Greek Orthodox Archbishopric in Beirut’s Ashrafieh district.

The incident “has no political or sectarian motivations and it was only aimed at theft,” Charbel told OTV.