Tensions between the Mustaqbal movement, Speaker Nabih Berri, and their respective allies have persisted in the wake of the Mustaqbal daily’s publication of a WikiLeaks cable in which the speaker encouraged attacks against Hizbullah during the July 2006 war.

On this note, former minister Mohammed Abdul Hamid Beydoun called on Berri to resign seeing as the leaked U.S. Embassy cable revealed that he “says one thing and does the opposite on the exact same day.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat reiterated his support for the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, stressing that Hizbullah can prove its innocence in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

He told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Saturday: “I support its funding especially since a significant number of Lebanese believe that the international court can uncover the truth in the assassination.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s recent position on Syria has created further divisions between the March 14 camp and Jamaa Islamiya on the one hand, and the March 8 camp on the other.

The daily Al-Liwaa reported on Saturday that academic, political, and cultural Christian figures have agreed to hold a conference, under the preliminary title of “Christians and the Arab Spring,” to produce a number of principles on Christians’ positions on the upcoming phase in the Arab world.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy informed Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during his visit to France earlier this week that the “regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad is over,” reported An Nahar daily on Saturday.

The patriarch received assurances from various French officials that “Lebanon and Christians minorities will not be sacrificed” for regional interests.

A number of March 14 MPs and officials on Friday criticized the latest stances voiced by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi about the Syrian crisis and Hizbullah’s arms.

“To give or not to give Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a chance is something to be decided by the Syrian people, not anyone else,” Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra told MTV.

Francois Roux, Head of the Defense Office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, adopted Friday the Legal Aid Policy, which regulates the representation of accused persons before the STL who cannot afford to pay for their own defense, the STL said in a statement.

“All accused persons before the STL have the right to legal representation. If an accused does not have sufficient financial means to pay for his own defense, the Tribunal will pay for his legal representation,” the STL announced.

Lebanon’s branch of the Jamaa Islamiya on Friday criticized Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s latest stances on the Syrian crisis.

“Any person has the right to express his stances and viewpoints, but we were not expecting such a stance from His Eminence, especially that he deduced that any change achieved by the Syrian people would have negative repercussions on the ties among the Lebanese communities,” the Jamaa Islamiya said in a statement.

An agreement over overdue funds owed to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, totaling $32 million, is expected to be reached before President Michel Suleiman travels to New York City on September 18 to take part in the United Nations General Assembly, reported al-Liwaa daily on Friday.

The funds could be made through a budget surplus or treasury advance, revealed Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s sources.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat hoped that the electricity draft law would be adopted at parliament without any complications, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

“What happened during the cabinet meeting is positive and approving the electricity project is an accomplishment,” he said.

The electricity draft law on producing 700 megawatts of power will be referred to parliament on Friday for it to be later referred to the joint committees in order to avert any stalling in its adoption.

Ministerial sources told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Friday revealed that the logistical preparations to refer the law to parliament have been complete.