U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams praised on Tuesday the government’s commitment to Security Council Resolution 1701and confirmed that Premier Najib Miqati will travel to New York end of September.

“I emphasized the need to safeguard Lebanon’s stability and security, particularly at a time of dramatic changes throughout the Arab world and part of that stability is guaranteed by Security Council Resolution 1701,” Williams said following talks with Miqati at the Grand Serail.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Tuesday the “constant” cooperation between the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, saying that the army should be properly supplied with necessary equipment to enable it to implement its duties, especially U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.

He said after holding talks with UNIFIL Commander Major General Alberto Asarta: “The Lebanese government is determined to take the necessary measures to allow the international force to perform its duties in aiding the army in maintaining the security in the South.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed the need for the Lebanese to reach a “new understanding” based on the country’s national contract.

He said: “Given the current circumstances, no Lebanese faction can force a certain fate on the country.”

Speaker Nabih Berri criticized the ruling majority and the March 14 opposition’s approach on different developments in Lebanon, accusing them of failing to accommodate to the new balance of power in the country.

He explained: “The majority does not know how to govern and the opposition does not know how to oppose rule.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati and the ministers loyal to him have pledged to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a high-ranking European Union official said.

The managing director for the Middle East and Southern neighborhood of the European External Action Service, Hugues Mingarelli, told As Safir daily published Tuesday that Miqati and Ministers Mohammed Safadi and Nicolas Nahhas confirmed to him that Lebanon would make its contribution to the STL.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati has appeased fears over a cabinet paralysis on the electricity crisis saying “we have reached some sort of a solution.”

“God willing we could reach positive ends,” Miqati told As Safir daily in remarks published Tuesday. He did not give further details.

Lebanese officials were on Tuesday making last-minutes talks to clinch a deal on the electricity project, 24 hours before a government session scheduled to discuss the plan.

The cabinet has so far failed to approve the project proposed by Free Patriotic Movement official Energy Minister Jebran Bassil. The draft law calls for allocating $1.2 billion to Bassil to generate 700 Megawatts of electricity.

Several ministers have tasked Hizbullah and Amal movement with informing Energy Minister Jebran Bassil about the decisions they reached on the electricity crisis at a meeting held at the Grand Serail on Monday.

Amal Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and a Hizbullah representative will make the proposal to Bassil although he rejected any amendment to his electricity plan that calls for the allocation of $1.2 billion to generate 700 Megawatts of electricity.

The Progressive Socialist Party unveiled on Tuesday that most of its requests to amend several articles in the controversial electricity project were met during a ministerial meeting held at the Grand Serail the day before.

PSP official Minister Ghazi Aridi told As Safir newspaper that major achievements were made. “We could say that we made good progress with the hopes of reaching a serious understanding through cooperation and good will from all sides.”

A wave of flies is causing an environmental and humanitarian hazard in the eastern Baalbek town of al-Hellaniyeh valley, keeping residents indoor, media reports said Friday.

An Nahar daily quoted a resident as saying that a farmer spread fertilizers imported from Arab countries on a 1000-square-meter land in the town without mixing it with the soil. This has attracted the flies.