Syrian Salafists, who have escaped their country, are holding “secret” talks with Lebanese Christian officials to explain to them about their vision on a “civil, democratic and plural” state in Syria if President Bashar Assad’s regime collapses, informed sources said.

The sources told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat published Thursday that the Salafists have so far held five meetings with Christian parties and Sunni leaderships.

Head of the General Labor Confederation Ghassan Ghosn announced on Thursday that the GLC was suspending its negotiations with the government over its demand for a salary boost after the state budget proposed by Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi called for a value added tax hike.

“This boycott is a warning message to the government ahead of studying the budget,” Ghosn told al-Jadid TV.

The cabinet avoided on Wednesday discussing the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri that is facing controversy over the March 8 forces’ rejection to pay Lebanon’s fees to the STL unless the is amended.

“Nothing has changed, and the funding will not be approved,” sources close to the March 8 forces told al-Liwaa newspaper on Thursday.

Ministers loyal to Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun entered the cabinet session at Baabda palace on Wednesday wearing t-shirts in support of Jeita Grotto’s bid to become a new natural wonder.

The t-shirts read: “I voted for Jeita Grotto.”

The cabinet appointed former Minister Adnan Sayyed Hussein as the head of the Lebanese University on Wednesday despite reservations expressed by ministers loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.

Ministerial sources told An Nahar daily on Thursday that the reservation came over the political reasons that led to the appointment of Hizbullah’s candidate. Jumblat’s ministers said there were better academicians for the post.

Lebanon’s decision to abstain from voting on the U.N. Security Council resolution against the Syrian regime triggered wide reactions locally, especially among the March 8 forces and the March 14-led opposition that strongly criticized it, An Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday.

Sources told the daily that the Foreign Ministry had directed Lebanon's Special Envoy to the U.N. Nawaf Salam to vote against the resolution, but urgent discussions among officials favored that Lebanon abstain from voting.

Israel is to launch a spy satellite that will double the resolution of its images, keeping a close watch on Iran, Channel 10 television reported on Wednesday.

It said the satellite, built by Israeli firm Elbit and due for launch soon, would be able to take high resolution images from an altitude of 600 kilometers (360 miles).

Free Patriotic Movement Leader MP Michel Aoun renewed his rejection to finance the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday, assuring that he is ready to “prosecute the ones who will fund it.”

In an interview with Radio Monte Carlo, Aoun said that “there is no agreement between Lebanon and the U.N. Security Council on the STL”, adding that the decision to establish the tribunal came from one side and was imposed on Lebanon under Chapter seven of the U.N. Charter.

The Lebanese Cabinet appointed Wednesday former Minister Adnan Sayyed Hussein as President of the Lebanese University.

Sayyed Hussein holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Lebanese University with high honors; He began teaching at the Lebanese University in 1990.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized on Wednesday the Syrian army’s infiltration of Lebanese territory on Tuesday, describing the action as being a military one.

He said after holding talks with French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton: “The Lebanese government should send a strongly-worded complaint to Syria over the matter.”