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.
An-Nahar daily reported that
President Michel Suleiman raised the issue of the Lebanese hostages during the
last minutes of his meeting with UN envoy Kofi Annan at Baabda Palace.
According to the daily, Sleiman
and Annan discussed mainly Annan’s mission in Syria. The UN envoy explained the
initiative he is undertaking to stop the violence in Syria and to establish a peaceful
solution to the deteriorating state.
In response to the remarks regarding the Lebanese-Syrian borders, Sleiman
stressed that the Lebanese borders are well controlled and monitored by
security apparatuses and the Lebanese Army. He added that the maritime borders are
being monitored in coordination between the Army and UNIFIL.
“Future” bloc, Akkar MP
Khaled Daher told
Acharq al-Awsat that the Lebanese government has lost sense of national
responsibility and is no longer able to protect the citizens.
Daher asked the UN to send
International and Arab forces and deploy them on the Lebanese-Syrian borders in
order to protect the Lebanese people from the brutality of the Syrian regime.
Lebanese sources confirmed that the issue of the Lebanese
hostages has entered international and regional turmoil, noting that
Iran began its communications with Turkey and Syria after the Kidnapping of two
Iranian drivers by Syrian militants.
The same sources told
as-Safir newspaper that Turkey has
already interfered two weeks earlier in the release of Iranian detainees by Syrian
militants.
“Future” bloc MP Ghazi Youssef
commented on the policy of the cabinet pertaining to baseless budget proposals, which are negatively affecting the Lebanese economy.
Youssef told
al-Mustaqbal
daily that the current cabinet is outdoing itself to create new unconstitutional
means for the spending issue.
Diplomats said that the UN
envoy to Syria, who had met with President Michel Sleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri, expressed
his concern regarding the spread of the Syrian war into Lebanon. This concern according to Annan, arises from the events that took place in the North and in Beirut over the
past three weeks, as well as information about some groups from Damascus and
Beirut that are planning to connect the Syrian crisis to Lebanon.
These sources told
al-Joumhouriya newspaper that Annan’s visit to Lebanon is evidence to the
connection between the situation in Lebanon and Syria since Annan head for Turkey but not
Lebanon following his Syrian leg.
In this context, it has been
reported that Annan informed Lebanese officials of the results of his
mission in Syria.
According to the sources,
Annan said that Syrian President Bachar Assad did not agree on forming a
transitional government to manage the affairs of the country.
Annan will be making a final statement following his meeting with PM Najib Mikati today.