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.
- Who will replace General Assarta?
According to
An-Nahar daily the United Nations headquarters in New York witnessed last week a series of closed meetings between high military officials working in the UNIFIL forces in Lebanon to decide on a new commander for these forces after the departure of General Assarta who is currently leading the peace keeping force in South Lebanon.
The newspaper mentioned that Major General Flaviano Godio and General Leonardo Di Miglio are the strongest candidates to occupy the position.
Sources told
An-Nahar that General Paulo Serra has the highest chances to occupy General Assarta’s position in January 2012 but again the final decision should be taken by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
- Sarkozy to Hariri: Sooner or later Assad regime will fall
French diplomatic sources told
Al-Hayat newspaper that former PM Saad Hariri discussed with President Nicolas Sarkozy his vision on the current event in the Middle East and Syria and praised France’s stances towards the popular movements in the Arab world supporting their democratic revolution.
Hariri seemed happy as he shared the same ideas with President Sarkozy especially those related to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon where they both agreed that Lebanon should pay its shares from the STL funding.
Hariri told Sarkozy that he will still lead the opposition along with his allies inside the parliament and informed him about the popular movement taking place on Sunday in Tripoli and expressed his relief towards the actions taken by the Arab League against Syria.
On the other hand the French President saw that the current government in Lebanon is fully controlled by Hezbollah adding that this government will definitely collapse when the Syrian President Bashar Assad will not be in power anymore as it will affect both Hezbollah and Iran on the political level.
Sarkozy mentioned that sooner or later the Syrian regime will fall, adding that he gave Assad a new chance during their last meeting but the later decided not to keep his words.
- Jumblatt to As-Safir: Please let me enjoy my visit
According to
As-Safir newspaper the head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt revealed from Brussels that he is considering leaving the Lebanese political scene and described it as being “a ridiculous scene”.
Jumblatt told
As-Safir “Please let me enjoy my visit to Brussels, I am here to participate in the honoring ceremony of a dear friend Paul Rasmussen who was the head of the Progressive Parties in the European Union, so don’t ask me about the open bazaar of the Lebanese politics”.
- Hariri might surprise the masses on Sunday
As-Safir newspaper raised a very important question: what will be the repercussions of the popular movement organized by the Future Movement on Sunday in Tripoli? Amid tight security measures the Internal Security Forces started taking sever measures to prevent Tripoli from any political clash as the smallest incident might lead to an armed conflict in the north.
Sources close to the blue party [Future Movement] told the newspaper that Sunday’s event will be similar to last year’s March 18’s event where thousands of Hariri supporters gathered to commemorate the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.
The General Secretary of Future Movement Ahmad Hariri will be present at the event on Sunday as well as several political figures from March 14’s coalition. Some have said that Saad Hariri might surprise everyone by attending the event while others are saying that former MP Fouad Seniora will deliver a speech written by Saad Hariri.
- FPM: We refuse to fund a new Israeli war on Lebanon
Sources close the Free Patriotic Movement denied to
Al-Joumhouria newspaper all the rumors talking about a possible resignation of all the movement ministers from the government amid ongoing tensions on all critical issues in the country.
The sources added that the FPM will not accept to leave the government for any reason as the movement has duties towards the people and their demands.
Al-Joumhouria quoted the sources as saying that the FPM will not vote on the current decision to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as the movement refuses to give Israel and the United States the required money to launch a new war on Lebanon.