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.
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel
told
Al-Joumhouria daily on Thursday that the security forces summoned
yesterday, upon the directives of the judiciary, 4 members of the families of
the Aazaz hostages whose names were mentioned during investigations with
Mohammad Saleh.
Sources also told the daily that a meeting
was held between a Turkish delegation and acting Internal Security Forces Head
General Ibrahim Basbous in the presence of the head of the Internal Security
Forces Information Branch Colonel Imad Othman.
During the meeting, the aforementioned
Lebanese officials refused to brief the Turkish delegation on any details in
regards to the investigations "that shall remain undisclosed and under the
supervision of the judiciary".
Sources told
An-Nahar newspaper that the Syriac Committee tasked
with the file of the two abducted bishops in Syria, Boulos Yaziji and Youhanna Ibrahim, convened yesterday in the
presence of bishops George Saliba, Daniel Kourieh and Matta el-Khoury as well
as other high-ranking figures.
Talks
featured high on the available information regarding the case amid deep
concerns over the fate of the abducted bishops.
The
same sources added that "the attendees voiced disappointment with the stances of
countries supporting the Syrian opposition," such as France, Italy and the
European Union.
Future Movement MP Khaled el-Daher told
al-Liwaa daily that
"the deportation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon will lead to a widespread
strife," noting that the Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun aims to achieve
this goal.
In this regard, MP Daher slammed the stances voiced by MP
Aoun, caretaker Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, the March 8 coalition as well as
Hezbollah in regards to the Syrian refugees, pointing out that by this "they solely aim
at supporting the Syrian regime".
MP Daher also said that "the Lebanese government has been a
direct accomplice, since the onset of the Syrian revolution, in the killing of
the Syrian people," adding that its refusal to establish camps to shelter the
displaced Syrians is a case in point.
Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam denied rumors that had
been circulating on the formation of a neutral 'fait accompli' government
within the next few days, stressing that he is still holding contacts with
President Michel Sleiman and the concerned authorities.
In this context, Salam told
As-Safir newspaper that there is
an urgent need to form a new cabinet in order to manage the Lebanese state's
internal affairs and to pull the country out of the current political crisis.