Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called for the consolidation of ties among the political parties that make-up the cabinet rather than engaging in disputes.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Friday, Jumblat said: “This government should work, and in order for it to function, it should limit” the upheaval.

Former PM Saad Hariri said Thursday that the wage hike decision made by the government is “shameful and a political bill that the Lebanese will pay from their economic future and their livelihood.”

On Wednesday, the Free Patriotic Movement, Hizbullah and Amal dealt a blow to Miqati after they voted in favor of a wage boost decree proposed by Nahhas hours after the Economic Committees and the General Labor Confederation agreed with minor changes on a previous proposal made by the PM.

The Lebanese Army Intelligence Thursday arrested a man (M. D.) on suspicion of launching the latest rockets from the South.

According to Al-Manar television “this arrest was made on the international road in Shtoura after the suspect was being followed by the army.”

The Economic Committees condemned on Thursday the government’s approval of Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas’ proposals over the wage hike in Lebanon, deeming it “a major blow to the economy.”

The head of the authorities Adnan Kassar said: “We hope the Shura Council will reject the decision.”

Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh stressed on Thursday that a lawsuit filed in a New York federal court last week against some Lebanese financial entities is an individual case that doesn’t target Lebanon’s banking sector.

“The civil lawsuit on the Lebanese-Canadian Bank and several other exchange companies is an individual case and is being solved through the judiciary, which confirms that the Lebanese banking sector as a whole hasn’t been targeted,” Salameh told Premier Najib Miqati during a meeting they held at the Grand Serail.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher stated on Thursday that the international community is obligated to support Lebanon, especially its stability.

He voiced his optimism in Lebanon, saying that the country will witness stability.

President Michel Suleiman toured southern Lebanon on Thursday to inspect army troops and UNIFIL units stationed south of the Litani River.

Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn and Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji accompanied Suleiman.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and Tawhid movement chief Wiam Wahhab stressed on Thursday the importance of preventing any security incident in the Mountains.

A statement issued by the Tawhid party said Wahhab visited Jumblat at his residence in Clemenceau and the two Druze leaders agreed to “follow-up the situation in the Mountains, particularly in sensitive areas.”

Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas said that he will refer the wage hike plan approved by the cabinet to the Shura Council on Thursday to get its response swiftly.

“If the Shura Council approved the decision it will be sent quickly to the official gazette so that it becomes as of December,” Nahhas told al-Liwaa newspaper on Thursday.

Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas’ wage hike proposal faced another controversy on Thursday after the Economic Committees refused to comment on the cabinet’s new decision, while the General Labor Confederation hinted it might suspend its planned strike.

Head of GLC Ghasan Ghosn told al-Liwaa newspaper on Thursday that the Confederation might suspend its strike on December 27 that was aimed at protesting low wages.