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.
LBCI
will air a documentary about Ghassan Tueni, produced by Philippe Aractingi and
Randala Khoury, on Sunday at 9:30 p.m.
In
this context,
An-Nahar reported that the documentary, starring Tueni, was shot in
the late journalist’s residence in Beit Mery and sheds light on the key events in
his personal and family life.
Foreign
Minister Adnan Mansour told
Acharq al-Awsat daily that “there are great hopes
that the Lebanese hostages in Syria will return safely soon”, pointing out positive
signs in this regard.
Mansour
added that the issue is being followed up seriously by Turkish authorities,
thanking all the countries that are exerting efforts to secure the hostages’ release.
The
minister pointed out that Turkey is in charge of communicating with the
kidnappers given the short geographic distance between Turkey and Reef Aleppo.
Senior
political sources in the March 14 camp told
al-Mustaqbal daily that the camp
has approved of participating in the national dialogue out of honor for President
Michel Sleiman’s appeal and nationalist positions.
The
sources stressed the importance that dialogue be placed on the right track and prevented
from drifting off course especially after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah’s recent remarks on a national conference.
The
sources also highlighted the importance that talks focus on the main problem
which lies in “illegitimate arms spread across Lebanese regions, mainly those
of the Resistance.”
MP
Antoine Saad told
al-Mustaqbal daily that the Syrian events should be the main
item of the national dialogue, adding that “if dialogue fails, the mandate and
role of the president will be over.”
Saad confirmed that the Syrian regime wants to
instigate a broad civil war in Lebanon or at least a war between the Sunni and
Alawite sects, which does not serve the interest of Hezbollah, as he said.
The president of
the Lebanese Institution for Democracy and Human Rights, Nabil Halabi told
Acharq al-Awsat daily that the Lebanese hostages will be released anytime soon,
confirming that they are now held captive by a faction affiliated with the Free
Syrian Army and that they “will arrive in Turkey very soon.”
Halabi
explained that the abductees’ handover to Turkey will be carried out through an
accurate security and technical operation in order to protect the hostages from
heavy shelling in the area.