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

An-Nahar
Abbas: We want a [Palestinian] state, not a confrontation with Washington

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with An-Nahar that he is “not seeking a confrontation” with the United States or any other country over a Palestinian request for full U.N. membership.
A high-level Palestinian source said Abbas “will certainly not meet” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unless the latter declares a total halt of settlements in the occupied territories and agrees to negotiate on the basis of the 1967 borders.

Regarding the [controversial] electricity bill, a vote to settle the issue is likely to take place at Wednesday’s meeting of Parliament’s joint committee and at Thursday’s legislative session.
But the question is: Will this vote lead to the birth of the electricity plan as desired by Energy Minister Jibran Bassil without taking into consideration Cabinet’s decisions regarding this issue? Or will this plan lead to the introduction of amendments put forward by the March 14 coalition based on Cabinet decisions?

Al-Mustaqbal
Future bloc warns against passing [electricity] bill without controls as Aoun hints at [using] knives
March 8’s electricity show: Mikati wins in Cabinet, Bassil in Parliament

Regardless of the outcome of the meeting by Parliament’s joint committee Wednesday to debate Energy Minister Jibran Bassil’s electricity plan, information has surfaced indicating that the new majority [March 8] intends to endorse the electricity bill without the introduction of amendments, a move that will be rejected by opposition lawmakers as they regard this action as “legitimizing the waste of public money and giving the minister [Bassil] powers without Cabinet’s control.”

As for the charade by the March 8 coalition, choreographed by the Cabinet and Parliament, a well informed source told Al-Mustaqbal that a deal had been reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s aide Ali Hasan Khalil and Hussein Khalil, the political aide to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, to pass the electricity bill in Cabinet with amendments knowing full well that Parliament would later endorse the draft law without the changes in the shape that Energy Minister Jibran Bassil had sought.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary Future bloc said following its weekly meeting Tuesday that any investment or project which requires huge amounts of money “should not be passed without the adoption of clear rules and controls that are universally recognized.”

Ad-Diyar
Conflict over $360 million commission for the electricity [plan]

According to international electricity firms, the cut for the person who secures them a contract stands at 30 percent.
The current conflict over the electricity plan in Lebanon centers on this commission, which is thought to be a substantial amount of money.
Some say the deal is ready and the commission is ready in banks in Geneva and that the person negotiating the deal is Z. Abi Khalil.

The opposition may want to have a stake in this project or are refusing the deal. The commission, nonetheless, has been distributed among the various parties and movements making up the majority March 8 coalition.
However, the biggest share will go to those who will sign the deal, whether the government or Energy Minister Jibran Bassil.

The real conflict is not technical and not over 700 megawatts. But the real battle is over who will get the commission from the deal. The norm says that power companies pay a 30 percent commission, oil companies pay 15 percent and construction companies pay between 10 percent and 20 percent. This is a principle known worldwide.
Therefore, the real battle is who will receive the $360 million commission.

Al-Liwaa
Attempts to appoint [Lebanese] University president during Sleiman’s absence, priority to Sayyed Hussein
Aoun calls for Hariri’s prosecution

The police operation carried out by the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch Tuesday dealt a deep blow to the “nerve center” of what is thought to be a “secret organization” behind the kidnapping of the seven Estonians [who were later released] and other “terrorist acts” in various regions, most notably the Bekaa.

This security development will silence a campaign launched by MP Michel Aoun against the ISF.
Even though Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, who is close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said the electricity bill was likely to be passed by Parliament, the joint committee session Wednesday will be a test of what will happen at Thursday’s legislative session.

The joint committee meeting Tuesday coincided with the return of Aoun’s harsh campaign against Future bloc lawmakers, describing them as a “bunch of liars and hypocrites who want to ruin the state.”
Aoun also attacked former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, calling for the “prosecution of the person who is taking refuge in Europe (Hariri) for failing to approve the maritime border [deal].”

Cabinet will meet Wednesday afternoon with 76 items on its agenda. Ministerial sources said Cabinet is likely to appoint former Minister of State Adnan Sayyed Hussein as president of the Lebanese University after the various political forces reached consensus on his appointment.