Speaker Nabih Berri has criticized Premier Najib Miqati for warning that he would confront any attempt to target the authorities of the prime minister.

Former Minister Albert Mansour on Friday quoted Berri as saying that “constitutionally, there is no institution called the premiership.”

Information Minister Walid al-Daouq stated on Wednesday that Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn has received information from security authorities on the infiltration of al-Qaida members of the Bekaa town of Arsal and their entry into Syria, adding that the government urged the security forces and Lebanese army to properly monitor the border with Syria.

He said after a cabinet session: “The government called on the Higher Defense Council to convene in order to address the minister’s allegations.”

Speaker Nabih Berri threatened on Tuesday the government against failing to issue the decrees concerning the implementation of decisions reached on oil exploration.

As Safir newspaper reported that Berri warned to call on the parliament to convene to question the cabinet over its performance if it didn’t issue the decrees during a session scheduled to be held at Baabda palace on Wednesday.

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.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati said that the approval of the majority of cabinet members on Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas’ wage proposal was “a democratic expression,” but stressed it was a “political” stance aimed at showing support to a “political ally.”

“No one won and no one lost. I respect democracy and we’ll see how this decision will be applied,” Miqati told An Nahar daily on Thursday.

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed relief on Friday over the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon through the Higher Relief Council.

“I have already said that the payment will not be from the state’s budget and this is what happened… there might be other hidden issues related (to the funding) that will be unveiled soon,” Berri told An Nahar.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Sunday said he was open to “any discussion” concerning the issue of the controversial wage increase recently adopted by the government, stressing that “we look at the issue from a realistic angle.”

During an inspection visit to the commercial district in downtown Beirut on the occasion of the holiday season, Miqati said: “I stressed yesterday that any matter related to the wage increase and rectification remains short of the major needs, but we look at the issue from a realistic angle and we’re seeking as much as possible to secure balance between needs and assets.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Tuesday hit back at Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun, without naming him, saying “not everyone preaching reform is necessarily a reformist!”

“People have the ability to differentiate between those seeking to put the country’s interest above all else and those continuously seeking to build personal loyalties,” Miqati said on the social networking website Twitter.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati confirmed on Saturday his commitment to the Islamic principles, issued by Dar al-Fatwa, to safeguard the nation and the Sunni sect that gathers the factions of the Lebanese community.

“The Islamic principles are the basis of Lebanon’s national principles… it aims at saving Lebanon,” Miqati said during a meeting with Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani at the Grand Serail.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s decision on Wednesday to transfer Lebanon’s annual share of funds to the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon is “a step in the right direction,” the Mustaqbal Movement said.

The step is “an inevitable result of the struggle of the Lebanese for the sake of (establishing) the tribunal, fulfilling justice … and holding accountable the murderers in the assassination and terror crimes that targeted the national and political leaders,” the movement said in a statement.