Press Digest for Sunday February 17, 2013

The following are summaries of today's major stories published in the Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content, giving English-language readers insight into the various views expressed in newspapers across the Arab world.

• KSA, UAE, and Bahrain raise complaints regarding MP Aoun’s declarations              

An-Nahar newspaper said on Sunday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received complaints from each of Kingdom Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain regarding the recent declarations made by the head of the Change and Reform Bloc MP Michel Aoun.                               

An-Nahar newspaper added that these countries considered the declarations as interference in their interior affairs.                

• FSA Press Officer: Hezbollah is occupying 6 Syrian villages

                
The Press officer of FSA's joint command Fahd al-Masri said that clashes are taking place on an almost daily basis between Free Syrian Army members and members from Hezbollah in bordering villages with Lebanon and accused Hezbollah of occupying 6 Syrian villages.

Talking to Acharq al Awsat newspaper, al-Masri accused Hezbollah of shelling towns in Reef Damascus, which is controlled by the Syrian opposition, from the Lebanese heights of Hermel.             

• MPs Fatfat, Gemayel, and Torsarkissian oppose MP Bazzi’s proposal

         
An-Nahar newspaper said on Sunday that during the meeting of the subcommittee tasked with discussing the electoral law, MP Serge Torsarkissian made an intervention about the need to reach consensus in order to ratify an electoral law that serves all parties.

The Daily added that MPs Ahmad Fatfat, Sami Gemayel, and Serge Torsarkissian rejected the electoral proposal presented by MP Ali Bazzi,; whereas, MP Akram Chehayyeb tried to suggest some amendments on this proposal.                 

• MP Berri: The electoral draft is not restricted to one party             

Development and Liberation Bloc MP Yassine Berri said that Speaker Nabih Berri decided to extend the period of the subcommittee until the 18th of February since reaching an electoral law by consensus serves Lebanon’s greatest interest and added that if a final agreement were not reached during the subcommittee’s meetings, the first item on the agenda of the joint parliamentary committees would be the Orthodox gathering electoral draft.             

In this context, MP Berri told An-Nahar newspaper that the final decision is for the joint parliamentary committees and mentioned that his party supports the orthodox gathering electoral draft.