The cabinet on Tuesday evening confirmed media reports circulated earlier in the day, postponing the discussion of appointing a secretary general and a political affairs director for the foreign ministry.

Briefing reporters after a cabinet session, acting information minister Wael Abu Faour said the debate was postponed “at the request of Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, so that all diplomatic appointments take place as one batch.”

Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Monday that Imam Moussa al-Sadr was the first individual to speak of Lebanon’s possible oil and gas wealth.

He said before his visitors: “The oil file will be the first topic of discussion with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon during his upcoming trip to Lebanon on Friday.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat accused on Monday officials in Lebanon of resorting to claiming that the al-Qaida terrorist group had infiltrated in order to serve their interests.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “The stupidity of those individuals did not take into account the sensitivity of the situation in the region when they said that al-Qaida had entered the town of Arsal.”

President Michel Suleiman on Monday said “it is normal for the cities and villages to be free of weapons,” noting that an “arms-free Beirut” could become an example for other regions to follow.

“This requires a positive collective willpower that facilitates the work of the security forces,” Suleiman said during talks with a delegation of Beirut MPs that visited him to discuss the issue of removing weapons from the capital.

Phalange Party MP Sami Gemayel criticized on Monday the Syrian army’s infiltration of Lebanese territories, calling on the Defense Ministry and Lebanese army to fulfill their duties in confronting the violations.

He said: “The army should perform its constitutional and legal responsibilities towards the Lebanese people and immediately open fire at any foreign soldier who crosses into the country.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stated on Monday that the possession of arms outside the state’s authority is unacceptable, reported Voice of Lebanon radio.

He said before reporters: “The time when Hizbullah lays down its arms would be a great day.”

Mustaqbal bloc MPs Hadi Hbeish and Jamal al-Jarrah accused on Monday the Free Patriotic Movement of misleading the public over former Premier Fouad Saniora’s alleged financial violations in the national lottery in 1996.

They said in a press conference to refute the movement’s claims: “FPM leader MP Michel Aoun has no right to speak of squandering public funds because those who have a history in such affairs are not entitled to accuse others of such crimes.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Monday that reports that he had escaped an assassination attempt were only news broadcasted through BlackBerry phones.

He said on Twitter that he will not “give any more information” about those allegations.

President Michel Suleiman said on Monday a new electoral law is a step towards the implementation of the Taef accord, stressing that it should be based on the principles of the National Pact while following modern trends.

“The electoral law is the right gateway for the practice of sound democracy but it is one of the steps towards the implementation of the Taef agreement such as administrative decentralization and sustainable development,” Suleiman told a conference on proportionality held at the Phoenicia hotel in Beirut.

Al-Fajr Brigades snapped back at al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah MP Imad al-Hout on Monday, saying their resistance will remain no matter who renounces them.

“Our forces will remain and we are proud of our arms and resistance… We are surprised by how some people are renouncing us and our weapons,” al-Fajr brigades said in a statement.