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 revealed that Beirut port has practically turned into a port for Lebanon and Syria due to the
difficult situation prevailing over the region.
In a statement to
an-Nahar Daily, Charbel stressed the
importance of the traffic plan set up during the security meeting held on
Tuesday, which orders the trucks that work for Beirut port to travel during the
night as of next Monday.
The caretaker minister explained that the plan aims at
providing the best conditions for the movement of trucks and working on
reducing traffic accidents, noting that the ministry intends to expand the plan
in order to include fuel tanks and other heavy vehicles.
United Nations deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon and UN
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Robert Watkins revealed that the UN is
seeking to place a “stabilizing program” for Lebanon that includes the
establishment of shelters in anticipation for a large influx of Syrian refugees.
In a statement to
an-Nahar
Newspaper, Watkins explained that the international organizations are working
with the World Bank in order to draft a report including an evaluation of the
social and economic effects of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon, in preparation for
the meeting in New York expected to be held on 25th of September.
This comes as the European
Commission has approved a 58 million Euro grant for Lebanon in order to lessen
the burden of the large number of Syrian refugees living on its territories. The commission noted that
this grant will help in providing the basic needs for the refugees and the
Lebanese host groups.
Member of the Future bloc MP
Ahamd Fatfat expressed his concern toward the armament of the municipal police,
in order to prevent the spread of armed militias under the guise of legitimacy,
noting that the municipal guards have a specific role within a legal framework.
Fatfat told
al-Liwaa Daily
that the Future bloc seeks to remain under the law, pointing out that only the
security institutions have the right to acquire weapons, stressing that some
municipalities do not have organized administrations, especially in small
towns.
“We support municipal guards, not municipal armament,” he said.
Parliamentary sources told
al-Joumhouria Daily that President Michel Sleiman tackled the constitutional path and mechanisms that
must be adopted during the current exceptional conditions that surround the
upcoming presidential elections, adding that Sleiman did not confirm that the
current caretaker cabinet will manage the country’s affairs during the upcoming
phase.
The same sources told the Daily that Hezbollah is currently procrastinating in the governmental formation process, as well as other issues,
noting that the Shiite party raised the ceiling of its conditions in order to "waste time" so that the current
cabinet remain in power until the date of the next presidential elections expected to
take place in 2014.