Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Thursday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

Al-Akhbar: Government starts its first step … with a limp

Wednesday’s developments gave indications that the fate of the Cabinet meeting Thursday will determine the path of the new government: either it will gradually settle pending issues or postpone any issue that is likely to be subject to dispute - discussions would therefore focus on the approval of donations.
Just hours before the first Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda this afternoon, two items on the agenda were already obliterated.
Under the meeting’s agenda, the Cabinet is to renew the mandate of Riad Salameh, Lebanon’s Central Bank governor, appoint a Chief of Staff for the Lebanese Army and general director for the presidency.

According to information made available to Al-Akhbar, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are calling for a basket of appointments that would include, in addition to the three appointments, the appointment of deputy intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim as General Security Director General, a demand rejected by both President Michel Sleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun, who insist on restoring the position to the Maronite sect.
The concerned officials found themselves confronted with a new dilemma - either to postpone appointments of the three, and thus the government will begin its work with a limp or attempt to reach a behind-the-scene agreement on the issue of the General Security Director General, especially since Sleiman and Aoun are not against Ibrahim as long as they can find a way out that would not embarrass in front of their Christian audiences.
However, intense overnight efforts failed to reach a breakthrough and amid Hezbollah’s and Amal’s stubbornness, an agreement was reached to postpone the appointments, except for Salameh’s renewal, until consensus is reached on the three posts: Army Chief of Staff, general director of General Security and general director for the presidency.
Despite this obstacle, a senior source in the majority refused to describe the situation as an “incomplete step.” The source instead called for giving the government a chance since this is “its first meeting.”

Al-Liwaa: President, prime minister and Jumblatt oppose return to false witnesses [issue]
Appointments’ equation shake Cabinet’s first session

Intense efforts were ongoing on more than one front so that the government would pass its first test without shaking the hybrid coalition.
The government Thursday will face the issue of key public appointments in the economic, administrative and security sectors after the Shiite camp made up its mind: Either Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim will be appointed or no appointments altogether.
For that reason, Prime Minister Najib Mikati intensified his efforts by holding talks with President Michel Suleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is still abroad, as well as ministers from both Hezbollah and Aoun’s party in an effort to find an exit to the problem.
Mikati seemed comfortable, if not optimistic, Wednesday evening as he told Al-Liwaa that “there is a solution to every problem.”
Well-informed sources, however, suggested that Aoun’s desire to give up the Christians’ right to restore the General Security post for another key position is likely the cause of the problem.
It is also Sleiman’s desire to postpone a decision in this regard until after Saturday’s dinner in honor of Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Amchit, which will bring together a number of Christian leaders.
Meanwhile, public appointments and the need to maintain Christian posts in public departments should top the agenda of the Christian Reunion Committee meeting to be held in Bkirki Thursday under Rai.
Information made available to Al-Liwaa revealed that Rai told Sleiman and Aoun that he has learned that an “authoritative figure” was not enthusiastic about Ibrahim’s appointment.

Al-Liwaa has also learned that pro-Hezbollah, Amal, and Aoun ministers wanted to include the false witnesses issue on Cabinet’s agenda, only to be met with a rejection from both Sleiman and Mikati. The president and the prime minister strongly opposed the issue, arguing that there was no need to raise it up after indictments and arrest warrants had been issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Ad-Diyar: Problem in Cabinet meeting today is lack of mention of Brig. Gen. Ibrahim’s appointment on agenda

Cabinet will meet Thursday to approve key public appointments. However, the appointment of Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim was ruled out for no reason since appointments to security posts should be made in one comprehensive basket. So a split is likely to happen in Cabinet today and therefore public appointments will not be approved due to the lack of agreement on a basket of security-related posts.
Mikati is either going to the abyss or he will succeed. He has two faces: a good face and another face that only he knows. However, we want to see his good face and we want him remain victorious.
The state appears incoherent and when Cabinet fails to appoint Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim as head of the General Security, it is a weak government.
Remarkably enough, was a report by [Hezbollah’s] Al-Manar television, which quoted sources as saying that the appointments to be discussed at Thursday’s Cabinet meetings are likely to be postponed until agreement on a basket of appointments that will include the head of the General Security, the presidency, the Central Bank governor and the army’s Chief of Staff.