NNA - The Cabinet convened on Friday afternoon at Baabda presidential palace, under the chairmanship of Lebanese President, Michel Sleiman, in presence of Prime Minister, Najib Mikati.



Ministers are scheduled to take up the contentious issue of forming the committee tasked with overseeing the next legislative polls, tentatively set for June.



They are also set to dwell on whether to extend or not the mandate of the Internal Security Forces Chief, Major General Ashraf Rifi, whose term expires in April.



Rift among the Cabinet members is likely to be sharpened, putting the lineup at stake, especially after incoming news related State Minister Marwan Khoury as saying the government might collapse.



Mikati has replied, stressing that the government resignation depends on the course of the session.



Speaking to reporters before the Cabinet convened, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel vowed to defend Rifi's mandate extension, while the Free Patriotic Movement's Minister of Culture, Gaby Layyoun, said this step is aimed at "fomenting a problem."



Hezbollah Minister of State for Administrative Development Affairs, Mohammad Fneish, confirmed his fellows would vote against the extension.



For their part, State Minister Ali Qanso and Labor Minister Salim Jreissati said the extension duly required a law and not a decree.



Jreissati corroborated that the Change and Reform bloc was clear on three matters: no for the extension, no for the formation of the elections supervision body, and no for the government's resignation.



In turn, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour said the government was before a "very serious" watershed.



Both the President and the Prime Minister have met in one-to-one before the session, and discussed latest developments.



=========R.A.H.