President Michel Suleiman linked his approval to signing the $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending with the cabinet’s approval of Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi’s proposal to allocate his ministry with $3.12 billion to cover some expenses of state institutions in 2012, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday.

A ministerial source told the daily that cabinet members failed to find consensus over Safadi’s proposal during Wednesday’s cabinet session at the Baabda Palace, prompting the postponement of the discussions until next week’s session.

The cabinet session held at the Baabda Palace witnessed a heated debate between Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel over the controversial telecom data dispute.

Qortbawi lashed out at Charbel during Wednesday’s session for criticizing three judges at the judicial committee, which is tasked with assessing the possibility of providing the security forces with the telecom data, accusing them of not carrying out their full responsibilities.

A cabinet session that was scheduled to be held at Baabda Palace on Thursday was postponed despite Deputy Prime Minister Samir Moqbel’s pledges to hold the meeting to settle controversial issues.

“It is necessary to hold it to settle several important issues,” Moqbel told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) ahead of the postponement announcement.

Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi presented on Monday a draft law on the government extra-budgetary spending bill to the cabinet general secretariat.

The draft law should be presented before cabinet, but sources close to the Grand Serail ruled out the possibility that it would be discussed during Wednesday’s session.

Speaker Nabih Berri criticized on Thursday the cabinet’s slow performance, saying it was the reason behind his decision to schedule a parliamentary session to assess its work.

He described the cabinet’s performance as a “turtle” and stressed the importance of enhancing its work on all levels.

The presidential palace and Grand Serail switched off their lights for Earth Hour on Saturday in a global effort to raise awareness about climate change.

The Baabda Palace said in a statement earlier that it will turn off lights for 60 minutes from 8:30 pm local time upon the recommendation of President Michel Suleiman.

The cabinet is scheduled to convene on Wednesday with a crowded agenda with the electricity crisis expected to top the discussions.

An Nahar newspaper reported that Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's advisor Hussein Khalil held a meeting on Wednesday night to coordinate the stances before the government session.

President Michel Suleiman and Ministers loyal to Hizbullah and AMAL have sought to mediate in an attempt to resolve the dispute between Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil on the electricity crisis, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Suleiman is expected to hold meetings on Tuesday with several ministers in order to seek consensus concerning the matter.

Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas expressed his confidence on Monday that the cabinet will overcome the dispute on the electricity crisis “safely” during a session at the Baabda Palace.

“Prime Minister (Najib Miqati) proposed his scientific approach for the electricity crisis based on the available capabilities and latest technologies,” Nahhas told Voice of Lebanon Radio (93.3).

President Michel Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri are exerting efforts to make Beirut a permanent base for dialogue among religions and different confessions, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The two tackled the measures to be taken concerning the matter during a meeting on Monday at the Baabda Palace.