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

An-Nahar: Abbas’ visit interrupts domestic panic

Although the government is preoccupied with a number of political and security issues which popped up last week and is expected to host a busy schedule for authorities in the coming days, preparations are under way for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Beirut Tuesday.

Abbas’ two-day visit is seen as a significant event since Lebanon will head the U.N. Security Council in September as the Palestinian Authority mobilizes a wide-scale diplomatic effort before it requests permanent U.N. membership status for a Palestinian state after the opening of the assembly’s regular session.
Abbas will discuss this issue with President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.N., Nawaf Salam.
Abbas’ visit to Beirut, however, did not shift attention from the political and security issues that took place last week and continued over the weekend.

Al-Akhbar: Jumblatt fears [system of proportional representation]

[MP Walid] Jumblatt has forgotten that he was the first to scoff at the consensus democracy, describing it as “Loya Jirga.”
At a calculated moment, Walid Jumblatt launched an attack against an electoral law based on proportional representation [for the 2013 parliamentary elections], thus becoming the major opponent to adopt a proposal that was initially brought forward by his father, Kamal Jumblatt.

As-Safir: Mirza to As-Safir: No arms smuggling from “Marina”
Roumieh scandal, electricity [issue] test Cabinet solidarity

Security issues continued to be at the forefront, presenting an additional challenge to the government ahead of this week’s Cabinet session where the electricity issue is expected to be a test of the government’s solidarity after Cabinet was shaken by the postponement of a draft law to adopt a proposal by Gen. Michel Aoun to provide Lebanon with an additional 700 megawatts of power. Cabinet is expected to reconsider the electricity issue after introducing some controls.

Meanwhile, as reactions to the Antelias explosion kept pouring in, an explosion went off in the Mikati government hands – the Roumieh prison explosion, with Fath al-Islam inmates having managed to escape the maximum-security prison.

Separately, two suspects held for alleged involvement in arms smuggling to Syria via Beirut Marina port, which is adjacent to St. George, have been released.
State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza confirmed the release of the two men, adding that investigations have failed to substantiate rumors that they were trying to smuggle weapons to Syria.
“There is no such thing as arms smuggling from ‘Marina’ Beirut port, not even [Lebanese] Army intelligence has information regarding this issue,” Mirza told As-Safir.

Al-Liwaa: Sleiman to Monaco after Cabinet in Beiteddine
Negative meeting between Mikati and Bassil

Security incidents that moved from Beirut to Ehden to Roumieh prison have confirmed the need to relaunch dialogue to prevent the continuation of campaigns that would confuse the internal situation in light of signs of the inability to address pending issues.
Cabinet will hold a meeting Thursday at the presidential summer palace in Beiteddine to discuss the stalled electricity issue amid hints the Aounist party may quit the government if efforts to mend differences with Mikati fail.
Al-Liwaa has learned that Sleiman will fly to Monaco on a four-day private visit after the Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, ministerial sources revealed that Mikati recently held a meeting with Energy Minister Jibran Bassil that was described as “very negative” on the grounds that Bassil’s request to get $1.2 billion for electricity cannot pass the way it had been submitted to Cabinet. Bassil was told that the project should be within the state budget. Secondly, there may be financial alternative – soft loans instead of borrowing from the Treasury at high interest rates.