Press Digest for Sunday August 11, 2013

      

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.

• MP Siniora holds several contacts to release the two Turkish pilots- sources              

Sources close to the head of the Future bloc MP Fouad Siniora told An-Nahar Daily on Sunday that the latter has made several contacts with President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the  Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Jean Kahwaji and the Turkish ambassador to Lebanon Inan Ozyildiz.         

Talks featured high on the means to secure the release of the two Turkish pilots as soon as possible since "the incident takes a toll on Lebanon on the political and security levels".             

The officials also confirmed to Turkey that "the Lebanese citizens are not involved in the incident," adding that they should be protected from any potential backlash.            

• Families of Aazaz hostages not responsible for the abduction of two Turkish pilots- sources              

Sources told An-Nahar newspaper that information made available on the abduction of two Turkish pilots indicate that "the perpetrators are professionals not amateurs," confirming that "the families of the Lebanese hostages held in Syria's Aazaz are not behind the incident".             

On Friday 9th of August at 3 am, gunmen intercepted a Turkish Airlines bus at Cocodi Bridge in Beirut and kidnapped two crew members, a pilot and a co-pilot, both are Turkish nationals. The bus carrying the crew members was heading from Beirut international airport toward a hotel in Ain El-Mrayseh.                   

• Turkey to withdraw 280 peacekeepers from the UNIFIL -spokesman               

Spokesman of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Andrea Tenenti told Asharq al-Awsat daily that Turkey will withdraw over 280 peacekeepers from the UNIFIL next month.              

"On 6 August, the UNIFIL was  informed by the UNHQ Department of Peacekeeping Operations that Turkey has decided to withdraw the Turkish Engineering Construction Company of UNIFIL by the first week of September,” UNIFIL said in a statement.                

In this regard, Tenenti said that the abduction of the two Turkish pilots will not affect the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, stressing that the general situation where the troops operate is "calm".                 

• Turkish soldiers in UNIFIL will not be targeted- sources                

Security sources in southern Lebanon ruled out any potential attack against Turkish soldiers in the UNIFIL, noting that any aggression not only targets Turkey but also the United Nations, the UN Security Council as well as the UN Security Council's resolution 1701.               

The same sources told Al-Mustaqbal daily that any attack will also undermine the mission of the UNIFIL, giving a pretext to the European units to withdraw from Lebanon.