Speaker Nabih Berri reportedly said on Wednesday that if next week’s legislative session faced lack of quorum, he will not back off and will insist on holding it.

“He will call for a second, third and fourth session until it is held,” lawmakers quoted Berri as saying during his weekly meeting with them at parliament.

Government Commissioner to the Military Tribunal Judge Saqr Saqr charged Sheikh Mohammed Ali Ismail al-Husseini with spying for Israel on Wednesday.

The army intelligence detained al-Husseini, who is the secretary-general of the Arabic-Islamic Council, last week after suspecting that he had collaborated with the Israeli Mossad.

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday Speaker Nabih Berri’s recent criticism of the Cedar Revolution, noting that he is constantly confusing his role in his party with that of his role as parliament speaker.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We advise Berri to employ his talents in helping his camp form a government, instead of launching battles to compensate for its failure.”

Security forces on Wednesday ended a scuffle that erupted between OGERO employees over controversial political slogans they raised during a sit-in against unpaid salaries.

The sit-in, which was aimed at showing solidarity against a delay to transfer funds to OGERO, turned ugly after the split between the employees caused a clash.

OGERO snapped back at Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Wednesday, saying that the telecommunications minister doesn’t have the right to give certain tasks to the state-own company.

Aoun said Tuesday that OGERO was initially placed under the management of Radio Orient and it was later placed under the telecom ministry and therefore its functioning falls under the ministry’s authority.

The Lebanese army thwarted an attempt to launch a rocket from southern Lebanon towards Israel several days ago and arrested a man involved in the operation, As Safir newspaper reported Wednesday.

The newspaper quoted military sources as saying that the man had transported the rockets and set their launch pad.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said Wednesday that amending the Taef accord is something that the country does not “tolerate.”

“It took us from 1975 till 1989 to agree on the Taef accord. I don’t think we’ll enter this vortex again if we take into consideration the importance of agreeing on the president’s authorities,” the PSP leader said.

The Maronite Bishops Council called on officials on Wednesday to adhere to the Lebanese state, starting with forming a new government.

It said after its weekly meeting headed by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi: “They should respect democratic principles and restore the functioning of state institutions.”

Attention will be drawn to southern Lebanon on June 5 as a rally is expected to staged in commemoration of the day of the Naksa, reported As Safir on Wednesday.

High ranking military sources told the newspaper that the Lebanese army is taking the necessary precautions, stressing that the recent clashes that broke out on the Nakba Day at Maroun al-Ras will not be repeated.

Ziad Baroud, who relieved himself from his duties as caretaker interior minister, will not resume his duties, An Nahar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper said that Baroud will not take back his decision as long as the current situation remains the same. It noted that caretaker defense minister Elias Murr will be the acting interior minister when he returns to the country during the weekend.