Premier Najib Miqati told the cabinet on Wednesday that he expects the government to discuss the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon next week and hoped that each party would assume its responsibility towards the controversial issue.

An Nahar daily said Thursday that several cabinet ministers inquired Miqati about reports that he intended to resign if the cabinet failed to pay its 49 percent share to the STL - $33 million this year.

National Struggle Front ministers will resign from the cabinet if the government refused to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a minister from the bloc told An Nahar daily.

“Whether (Prime Minister Najib) Miqati resigned or not, the National Struggle Front ministers will resign from the cabinet if the funding of the STL wasn’t approved,” the minister, who is loyal to National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblat, told the daily.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon Trial Chamber has decided Wednesday to await a response from the Lebanese authorities on their efforts to arrest the accused before deciding whether to begin proceedings in absentia, it announced in a statement.

“The Trial Chamber has requested STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare to file a progress report by 8 December on the response of the Lebanese authorities,” it added.

March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid questioned on Wednesday the double standards adopted in tackling security issues in Lebanon, asking why it is easy for the army to enter the town of Arsal while it is prevented from entering the town of Siddiqin.

He wondered after the General Secretariat’s weekly meeting: “Why was it allowed to pursue Syrians in Arsal, while the army, which is responsible for protecting Lebanon and implementing U.N. Security Council 1701, was thwarted from heading to Siddiqin?”

U.S. President Barack Obama stressed to President Michel Suleiman that the United States stands by the Lebanese people in their pursuit for justice, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy emphasized the need for Lebanon to commit to its international obligations, especially the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Obama told Suleiman in a cable congratulating him on Lebanon’s Independence Day that the United States will continue its support for Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty, reported the National News Agency on Wednesday.

National Struggle Front parliamentary bloc wondered if the cabinet will commit to its ministerial statement concerning the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, stressing that the government has to safeguard the country and avoid any negative repercussions amid the developments in the region.

Sources told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Wednesday that ministers loyal to National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblat stress that the cabinet is obliged to fund the tribunal; especially that President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati continuously voiced their commitment to the STL.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati insists on funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as an obligation towards the international community that should be met, the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.

“The PM’s decision will be proposed to the cabinet at the right time, but the administrative mechanism began through the directions given to Justice Minister (Shakib Qortbawi) and Finance Minister (Mohammed al-Safadi),” Miqati’s sources told the daily.

Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi hoped that the government would find a “political” and “legal” solution to the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

In remarks to pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, Qortbawi said: “I have an opinion on this matter. I will express it without hesitation when it is discussed by the cabinet.”

Premier Najib Miqati promised President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge Sir David Baragwanath, on Wednesday to resolve the crisis on the funding of the STL.

Miqati met with Baragwanath at the Grand Serail, reiterating Lebanon’s respect for international resolutions, including 1757. He hoped that the STL would steer clear of politics, a statement issued by the prime minister’s office said.

The President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge Sir David Baragwanath, will arrive in Lebanon on Wednesday, al-Liwaa newspaper reported.

Baragwanath will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail to reiterate the importance of paying Lebanon’s dues to the tribunal before December 15, the daily said on Tuesday.