The Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced via Twitter on Wednesday that United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon will decide on how long its mandate will be extended after consulting with the Lebanese government and Security Council.

It said: “The agreement between the U.N. and Lebanon states that our mandate will be renewed if our work is not finished. Our work is not finished yet.”

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel confirmed on Wednesday that the investigators of the U.N.-backed court probing the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri requested the fingerprint records of some Lebanese citizens.

“I informed them that I can’t evade the legal framework that organizes such requests,” Charbel told As Safir newspaper.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Sunday that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Lebanon is aimed at stressing the need for Lebanon to implement Security Council resolutions.

He said via Twitter that the U.N. chief also sought to emphasize the need for Lebanon to respect the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora suggested to visiting United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon that the international organization demarcate Lebanon’s maritime border, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

He proposed during their meeting on Saturday that the U.N. also determine Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which would enable the country to exercise its rights to exploit the natural resources in the area.

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said Friday he had no doubt that the Lebanese government would continue to respect its obligations towards the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

In an interview published in An Nahar newspaper, Ban said: “I am very glad that the Lebanese government decided to transfer the 49 percent of funds to the STL.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati held a meeting with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during the holidays, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.

The meeting, according to the daily, tackled the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri and the latest developments.

European Union ambassadors to Lebanon praised on Thursday the government’s choice of stability, independence, and sovereignty, encouraging the country’s leaders to maintain this path.

Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst said: “We express our trust that Lebanon will continue to honor its international obligations in 2012 as derived from U.N. Security Council resolutions, including with respect to the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon and continued cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.”

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's fourth visit to Lebanon, which starts on Friday, is expected to focus on the controversial Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the deadly crisis in n Syria.

A government source told Agence France Presse that Ban was expected to address Lebanon's duties to the STL that has charged four Hizbullah operatives in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday Syrian President Bashar Assad’s speech on Tuesday, urging the international and Arab communities to take action to halt the regime’s ongoing crimes.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The Lebanese government should distance the country from the Syrian crisis after Assad’s speech hinted at more violence on the internal scene.”

Lebanese officials are seeking to coordinate their stances ahead of U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Beirut on Friday to avoid tarnishing Lebanon’s image, informed sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily on Tuesday that consultations are underway between major political forces led by Hizbullah to agree on the broad Lebanese stance on several controversial issues that could be discussed by Ban and the Lebanese officials.