President Michel Suleiman stressed that the national dialogue will be held at Baabda palace but did not give any timeframe “because the two sides of dialogue haven’t yet reached consensus.”

In an interview with el-Shark daily published on Tuesday, Suleiman said that the only item on the dialogue’s agenda is the national defense strategy.

The government is expected to discuss the appointment of the head of the Lebanese University on Wednesday along with 150 items on the agenda and 8 additional topics distributed to ministers on Monday.

The cabinet session at Baabda palace is expected to last for several hours or the discussion of several items could be postponed for another session over the packed agenda, An Nahar daily expected on Tuesday.

The U.S. Supreme Court will let a Lebanese Muslim woman sue Southern California jailers for making her take off her headscarf in a courthouse holding cell.

The court refused to hear an appeal on Monday from Orange County, California, officials, who were sued in 2007 by Souhair Khatib.

Egyptian security authorities on Monday detained a man suspected of spying for Hizbullah after he escaped detention during the January uprising, the official MENA agency said.

Hassan al-Manakhly, one of the 22-member Hizbullah cell, was arrested after making an appearance on a live talk show Sunday night in Cairo, MENA said.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat noted on Monday that the facts and figures in the 2002 report on humanitarian development in the Arab world have not changed since the report’s release, hoping that the revolts in the Arab world would be able to introduce real change in the way of life of Arab people.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “The lack of change can be attributed to a lack of developmental and economic policies in the Arab world.”

President Michel Suleiman criticized on Monday media reports that don’t necessarily reflect the actual ties between various political leaders and authorities.

He stressed: “All sides should halt their heated rhetoric over media reports that often lack accuracy.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Monday defended the judiciary from critics saying parliament had made an important step in giving fair salaries to judges after adopting a new law.

During a meeting with a delegation from the Higher Judicial Council in the presence of Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi at the Grand Serail, Miqati said: “What has been achieved in terms of the amendment of the wages of judges is an accomplishment that the judicial body deserves even if it came late.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Sunday that Syria’s Lebanese allies are sensing that the Syrian regime will be overthrown, and they are therefore now, contrary to their usual practices, calling for dialogue.

He said: “They are living in a state of confusion and are trying to take all possible measures to save themselves should the regime be toppled.

A meeting will be held on Monday between Lebanese security forces and agencies tasked with protecting the United Nations headquarters in Beirut to reconsider the measures taken to secure the building against any possible threat, An Nahar reported.

The security measures taken near the ESCWA building have caused a major bumper-to-bumper traffic near the U.N. Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia building in Beirut.

Former President Amin Gemayel said that the Phalange Party won’t participate in a conference that is being organized by top March 14 figures to confront Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s recent controversial stances on Hizbullah’s arms and the situation in Syria.

Gemayel told al-Jadid TV on Sunday that his Phalange party was not invited to the summit and said he rejected the “loud dispute” with al-Rahi.