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.
The head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt said
that he no longer has any initiatives to solve the governmental issue. “We did
the impossible, worked hard and presented many proposals for the cabinet
formation, but we achieved nothing,” Jumblatt said, calling on the political
parties to lift their preconditions that are hindering the whole process.
Commenting on Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah’s position regarding the cabinet, Jumblatt told
as-Safir Daily that
he supports Nasrallah in his call to hold dialogue sessions since the
country’s economic and financial situation as well as the social conditions of
the Lebanese citizens and the Syrian refugees cannot tolerate any more delay in the
cabinet formation.
In this context, Jumblatt said that he is awaiting President
Michel Sleiman’s return from New York to set up a meeting with him and discuss
the issue of the government's formation.
Accordingly, MP Jumblatt expressed skepticism about the UN
meeting in New York and the possibility of reaching a solution for the issue of
the Syrian refugees, pointing out that he received reports stating that countries will
not take practical steps in offering financial support to Lebanon.
“We now need a miracle in order for the International Support
Group to issue serious decisions that will serve the interests of Lebanon and the Syrian refugees,”
he said, stressing that political support and expressing good intentions are
not enough.
Speaker Nabih Berri said that the meeting held by the United Nations General Assembly in New York is very important amid the latest regional and
international developments.
In a statement to
al-Joumhouria Daily, Berri praised the
deployment of security forces in Beirut’s Southern Suburbs, stressing the need
to cooperate with these forces in order to restore stability in the region. He reiterated
that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement welcome such a security step in the Dahiyeh
area, adding that it must be implemented throughout all Lebanese regions.
Commenting on the issue of the cabinet formation, Berri ruled
out the possibility of forming a cabinet according to the 8-8-8 formula, noting
that in case it were formed, it will hinder dialogue and obstruct solutions.
Sources from the Lebanese delegation in New York reported to
as-Safir Newspaper that during the meeting held between President Michel
Sleiman and his US counterpart Barack Obama, the latter expressed his keenness on
maintaining Lebanon’s stability and distancing the country from the Syrian war.
The sources added that Sleiman reiterated the Lebanese stance
rejecting any foreign military intervention in Syria and supporting the efforts
deployed in order to reach a peaceful political solution. Sleiman also presented a
solution proposal to the issue of the Syrian refugees, stressing his support to
the peace process in the region while refusing the naturalization of the
Palestinian refugees.
Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya
said that Hezbollah used to be a resistance party, but has lost its path once it
got involved in the Syrian crisis, noting that the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) has taken a decision regarding the Shiite group, and the ministers are still looking
into the measures in this regard.
In a statement to
al-Hayat Newspaper, al-Attiya stressed
Qatar’s support to the Syrian opposition represented by the supreme military
body of the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian National Coalition, adding that the
Syrian people will triumph over the regime of President Bashar Assad.