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.
- Mikati: I am
doing my best to increase humanitarian aid for displaced Syrians
Commenting
on the issue of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon, PM Najib Mikati confirmed to
An-Nahar, via Twitter, that he is doing his best to increase the humanitarian
aid and support for these people, “with no political exploitation whatsoever.”
Asked
whether the governmental institutions were going to put forth a plan of action
is this regard, Mikati answered “the Higher Relief Committee is handling the
issue in cooperation with other parties. However, the committee has limited
potentials and low budget.”
An-Nahar
reported on Monday that an armed clash erupted on Sunday in the town of Bir
el-Abd injuring one ISF official during a raid of a Hezbollah leader’s
residence.
A large
number of weapons and ammunition were confiscated along with a number of
stolen vehicles and a modern device to decipher the codes of modern cars.
An-Nahar
learned from security sources that security forces took actions after
determining the location of a BMW X5 SUV that was stolen on Sunday from Hamra.
The GPS device located the car in Bir el-Abd, outside the house of Nizar
el-Hussaini, a Hezbollah official.
After
security forces raided Husseini’s residence, his son was arrested, a large
number of weapons and ammunitions stored in a cache were confiscated and the
stolen cars were returned to their owners.
Deputy Head
of the Islamic Sharia Council, Omar Meskawi urged Sheikh Khaldoun Oraymet, the
secretary general of the council, to call for a consultative session on
Tuesday, knowing that the council’s upcoming session was expected to take place
on Saturday.
Meskawi told
al-Akhbar daily that he had called the Mufti of the Republic Mohammad Rahid
Qabbani to discuss the subject, refusing to reveal the call’s details which
lasted for 45 minutes. Meskawi confirmed that the Mufti does not agree on
holding the consultative session.
Asked about
the possibility of holding the session in the Mufti’s absence, Meskawi
explained that the session is of a consultative nature and aims at settling the
current issue, adding that Qabbani’s called for holding elections for a new
Sharia Council in April.
In this
context, members of the council met last Saturday and revealed that the Future
Movement is intending to press charges against Qabbani on the grounds that he
has no right to call for holding elections.
Speaker
Nabih Berri told
As-Safir daily that the atmosphere that prevailed following
the legislative session does not help determine the way in which the $ 11
billion was spent, in an implicit reference to the statements made on Sunday by
former PM Fouad Siniora in Sidon.
Siniora had suggested yesterday to increase
the expenditure ceiling or to approve the budgets that determine the
appropriate expenditure ceiling, adding that what is applied to the year of
2011 is applied to the previous five years.
Berri
confirmed to the daily that he decided to grant Siniora until the upcoming
March 5 legislative session to “positively deal with the scenario he had put
forth in order to address the issue of the $ 11 billion through the proposed
commission, provided that the issue will not be tied with the case of 8,900
billion LBP whose expenditure was determined, item by item, at the finance
committee... This matter does not apply to the amount of $11 billion that we
don’t know anything about its expenditure.”
The Speaker
added that “the Future bloc is requested to assume its responsibility regarding
its approach to the draft law on legalizing the expenditure of the 8,900 billion LBP
which is presented to the parliament, whether by voting in its favor or against
it and not by withdrawing as they have done last time.”