Press Digest for Thursday March 15, 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.     

• Government discusses critical economic issues  

Sources told An-Nahar newspaper that the cabinet discussed on Wednesday critical economic decisions and decided to send three economic draft laws to the parliament to be voted on.  

The sources added that the money laundering law, the tax evasion law and the money transfer law will be discussed in the next parliamentarian session.   Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, Mohammad Fneish, Nicolas Fattoush, Ali Qanso and Salim Karam objected the money laundering law as it conflicts with the bank secrecy laws in Lebanon, adding that the laws should at least be discussed by economic experts and committees before being sent to the parliament.      

• No agreement between Sleiman and Aoun  

Governmental sources revealed to Al-Liwaa newspaper that the administrative appointments issue is still pending as no agreement between political parties have been reached.  

The sources denied any sort of agreement between President Michel Sleiman and General Michel Aoun in this regard.                  

• Aridi: We should all support the Lebanese Army  

The minister of works Ghazi Aridi told An-Nahar newspaper that President Michel Sleiman raised the telecommunication data issue after that the Lebanese Armed Forces arrested a terrorist cell ready to carry out several attacks across the Lebanese territory.  

“The Minister of Defense revealed that the Army could not get the telecommunication data properly thus making their role to protect the country harder”, Aridi told the newspaper.  

“It is a matter of national security above all small and empty political equations; we should all support Army institutions as their only role is to protect the country and the citizens”.    

• Aoun demands sour meeting with Sleiman, Rai  

Governmental sources told Al-Joumhouria newspaper that the administrative appointment issue will not be discussed during government sessions anytime soon as the obstacles preventing the issue from being solved are still present.  

Sources told the newspaper that Maronite Patriarch Bshara Rai, President Michel Sleiman and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement Michel Aoun met to discuss the administrative appointment.  

They failed to reach any agreement due to Aoun’s demands.