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 said on Wednesday
that security apparatuses have taken control over all Hezbollah checkpoints in
various Lebanese regions.
Minister Charbel told
An-Nahar newspaper that Tripoli’s
security dossier will be tackled today (Wednesday) at 11am during a meeting for
the Central Security Council.
In this regard, Minister Charbel added to the newspaper that
the meeting aims at setting a security plan for the northern Lebanese city.
In response to a question related to Hezbollah’s checkpoints
in the vicinity of Bourj el-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut’s Southern Suburb
[Dahiyeh] region, Minister Charbel noted that these allegations are false adding
that only Internal Security Forces’ checkpoints are set in the aforementioned
region.
In the same context, sources told the newspaper that a Hezbollah
delegation met with Lebanese Armed Forces General Commander, Major General Jean
Kahwagi, reiterating the party’s support to its cooperation with the military
institution in order to implement security measures in Beirut’s Dahiyeh region
as well as other Lebanese areas.
Yemen’s Foreign Affairs Minister Abou Bakr Al-Qirbi praised
on Wednesday the role of all Yemeni officials who participated in national
dialogue; however, criticized former South Yemen president Ali Salim al-Beidh
who said that Lebanese officials are politically covering Hezbollah while
Iranian authorities continue to fund the party.
Al-Qirbi reiterated to
al-Hayat newspaper the importance of
national dialogue sessions, stressing that they lead to cooperation among
Yemeni officials.
An-Nahar
newspaper revealed on Wednesday new details related to the file of the asylum
boat that sank off the Indonesian coast as well as information related to the Iraqi national Abou Salah who was in charge of
transferring the asylum seekers to Indonesia before reaching Australia’s
Christmas Island.
In this
regard, sources told
An-Nahar that a Syrian national identified as M.H helped
Abou Saleh to enter the Lebanese territories and also cooperated with him to convince
15 persons from Tripoli and Akkar to travel to Indonesia.
An-Nahar added that security
officials are currently pursuing members of another network that helps citizens
travel to Malaysia.
The
newspaper mentioned that the network is headed by a Lebanese citizen identified as
Elie A. and added that the latter has established a travel office in Beirut’s
Dekwaneh region and is cooperating with Mohammad T. from Meshmesh and Ahmad H.
from Sidon.
Visitors of
House Speaker Nabih Berri quoted him on Wednesday as saying that he insists on
his initiative which stipulates holding dialogue sessions, adding that “whoever
has a better initiative should propose it.”
On another
note, sources told
Al-Joumhouria newspaper that Berri decided to postpone his
scheduled meeting with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman that aims at briefing Sleiman on political factions’ positions regarding his initiative until he
holds a meeting with the Head of the Future Bloc Fouad Siniora as soon as the
latter returns to Lebanon.