Press Digest for Thursday February 16, 2012

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.     

• Larsen: I warned Hariri of a possible assassination attempt

According to As-Safir newspaper United Nations General Secretary UN Special Envoy for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 Terry Roed Larsen warned former PM Rafic Hariri of his assassination a couple of days prior to the incident as Larsen knew that terrorist groups were willing to carry out similar activities in Lebanon.

“I warned Hariri that UNSC resolution 1559’s enemy will not rest until they get their revenge; I believed that he was the first one on their black list”, Larsen was quoted as saying.

Larsen told the newspaper in an interview on Thursday that the Syrian Regime might be implicated in similar activities, adding that most of Cedar Revolution martyrs were assassinated because they supported UNSC resolution 1559 to free Lebanon from the Syrian occupation.
 

• Jumblatt softly criticizes March 14 speeches

According to An-Nahar newspaper the head of the National Struggle Front Walid Jumblatt criticized March 14 ceremony held at Biel on Tuesday saying that the speeches addressed during the event were not different from those pronounced during the past years expect the points related to the Syrian appraisal.

“I would have been better if March 14 General Secretariat managed to get someone from the Syrian National Council to Beirut to address March 14 supporters instead of Fares Soueid”, Jumblatt was quoted as saying.

“They are constantly attacking Hezbollah and his weapons but end up saying that we all need to sit together to solve Lebanon’s issues”.  
   

• Will Sayyed Nasrallah reply to Saad Hariri’s speech?

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will address divisive issues, including the current events in Syria and the latest issues on the local political scene, in Thursday’s television appearance commemorating Hezbollah military chief Hajj Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination.

Sources close to Hezbollah told An-Nahar that Sayyed Nasrallah will stress again on the importance of the Party’s weapons to face Israel and external threats without replying to former PM Saad Hariri’s speech pronounced at Biel last Tuesday.

Sayyed Nasrallah will comment on March 14 unexplained support to the Syrian revolution since they clearly took a side in the ongoing conflict interfering in Syria’s domestic issues.  

• Mikati: I rely on Aoun’s wisdom to advise Nahas

According to An-Nahar newspaper PM Najib Mikati revealed that the cabinet sessions will not resume any time soon as long as the government’s role is stolen and ineffective.

“I am sure that MP Michel Aoun is keen on Lebanon’s interests and I rely on his wisdom as he is the only one entitled to advise Minister Charbel Nahas”, Mikati told An-Nahar.

“I don’t want any mediator to solve the current issue; I don’t understand why General Aoun called for the establishment of an internal order regulating government’s work when we have decrees related to that issue”.