Sources close to Prime Minister Najib Miqati have denied that the PM’s visit to Paris this week is a “prize” for his decision to fund the controversial Special Tribunal for Lebanon that will try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s suspected assassins.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published Tuesday, the sources said Miqati rejects for his visit to be described as a “prize” over his decision in November to pay Lebanon’s share to the STL through the Higher Relief Council.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokesman Marten Youssef expected the trials in absentia to kick off at the end of 2012, according to al-Liwaa newspaper on Monday.

Youssef revealed that the date will be set in April by Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen, urging the four suspects to appear before the court.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare held a “secret meeting” with the head of the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora during the former’s latest visit to Beirut, reported Kuwait’s An Nahar newspaper on Sunday.

High-ranking political sources told the newspaper that Bellemare was confident in the evidence he had acquired in the case of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, revealing that he will complete the second indictment in the case before the end of February.

A member of the Syrian National Council is likely to participate in the February 14 ceremony marking the seventh anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, reported the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper on Sunday.

It explained that the presence of a member of the council will demonstrate the March 14 camp’s support for the Syrian revolution.

Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel stressed on Friday that an assassination attempt against his son, MP Sami Gemayel, had been thwarted although security forces tried to minimize the impact of the new revelation, saying the lawmaker had only been advised to avoid attending a dinner.

In remarks to al-Liwaa newspaper, the Phalange chief said: “We received information from the generate-directorate of the Internal Security Forces -the Intelligence Branch about a plan to assassinate MP Sami Gemayel whose preparations were made at the time and place where he would be.”

The March 14 leadership decided following days of consultations to mark the anniversary of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination on Tuesday Feb. 14 at the Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center, An Nahar daily reported.

The newspaper said Friday that the coalition’s leaders also agreed to hold a mass rally at the Martyrs Square in downtown Beirut on March 14.

Almost two weeks before the anniversary of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 14, 2005 assassination, the Mustaqbal movement hasn’t so far announced any plans on whether it will hold a rally.

The movement’s logistics official, Saleh Faroukh, told An Nahar in remarks published Monday that “the decision hasn’t been taken” yet.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare refused to postpone the release of a new indictment until the renewal of the STL’s cooperation protocol, according to al-Liwaa newspaper published Monday.

An opposition parliamentary source told the daily that Bellemare’s discussions with Lebanese officials during his farewell visit to Beirut last week increased the political tension in the country.

Confusion on telecom data has become a new source of contention after Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui reportedly withheld information from the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch over an alleged plot to assassinate its chief Col. Wissam al-Hassan.

According to An Nahar daily published Monday, Sehnaoui, who is loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, gave the Intelligence Branch information on telecom data on Friday for only 24 hours after he was informed about the alleged plot.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati had requested from Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare that he delay the release of the indictment in the assassination attempts of former ministers Marwan Hamadeh and Elias al-Murr, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday.

He hoped that the indictment would be revealed after Lebanon approves the renewal of its cooperation protocol with the STL.