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.
An-Nahar daily reported on Monday
that, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey
Feltman described the events in Syria as “appalling”, accusing Syrian President
Bashar Assad of driving the country to violence and sectarian strife.
Following his meeting with
Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman, Feltman accused Iran of backing the Syrian
crackdown on protesters, confirming that he has “proof” of Iran
and Hezbollah’s
support for Assad.
Feltman added that the U.S.
maintains contact with Christians in Syria to prevent them from siding with
“the attackers.”
As-Safir daily quoted Speaker Nabih
Berri on Monday as confirming that “tackling the issue of false witnesses is
inevitable.”
Berri stressed that it is
necessary to speed up the appointment of a new head of the Supreme Judicial
Council so that the issue can be properly addressed.
The speaker added that “the oil issue should be a pressing priority for the
cabinet”,
highlighting the importance of issuing the relevant implementation decrees
before the end of this year.
Berri confirmed that if the
decrees are not issued by January 1, he will subject the cabinet to an
interrogation session.
Asked whether funding the STL
will boost the cabinet’s
productivity, Berri said “there is
no excuse in the first place for low productivity.”
Berri stressed that “the parliament
will carry out its oversight function in this regard and will not waver over
holding the cabinet accountable when the need arises.”
An-Nahar daily quoted on
Monday ministerial sources from the Change and Reform bloc as saying that the
participation of Aoun’s
ministers in the cabinet sessions is possible, and it would represent an
attempt to give the prime minister a few weeks in order to know if he is really
willing to turn a new page.
In this context, Labor Minister
Charbel Nahhas confirmed to
al-Liwaa daily that the decision to participate in
the Wednesday cabinet session has not been taken yet, voicing hope that the
cabinet will assume its responsibility regarding the issue of wage adjustment
“since it is in the interest of all parties and the entire Lebanese community.”
PM Najib Mikati’s sources confirmed
to
An-Nahar that “the Wednesday session will take place at its scheduled time,
in the presidential palace and will tackle the cabinet agenda.”
The sources refused to discuss the
ongoing contacts to address the demands of the Change and Reform bloc,
explaining that all items are included respectively in the agenda by order of
priority.
“The key issue tabled for
discussion during the Wednesday session is the wage issue and all related draft
decrees, prepared by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, followed by the filling of
vacant positions in the Tourism Ministry.”
Some visitors of the Grand Serail
quoted Mikati as saying that “he does not see any problem in Aoun’s demands and
the related frenzy is unjustified since his demands were and are still included
in the cabinet agenda.”
As for the issue of false
witnesses, according to the same sources, Mikati said that it is still early to
take any position in this regard, “given that the file has not been closed
yet.”
Al-Hayat daily quoted Syrian
sources on Monday as saying that the Syrian foreign ministry will announce
today Syria’s position on the Arab observers’ protocol, following recent
letters between Syrian Foreign Minister Wallid al-Mouallem and Arab League
chief Nabil el-Araby with regards to the signing of the protocol between the
Arab League and Damascus.
In this context, el-Araby told
al-Hayat that the Arab isolation of Syria has started indeed, reiterating his
call on Damascus to sign the protocol as he warned of internationalizing the
Syrian situation.
Asked about the nature of
clarification requested by the Syrian government, el-Araby added that the
protocol is clearly defined and calls for the protection against “shabiha”,
explaining that this term refers to every carrier of illegitimate arms.
Al-Joumhouria daily quoted Lebanese
Forces Leader Samir Geagea on Monday as saying that what recently happened in
the Zahrani power plant proves that the authority in Lebanon is extrastatal.
Geagea called for bringing down the
government for it does not attach any importance to Lebanon’s sovereignty and
independence and to the freedom of its people, adding that the cabinet’s
survival constitutes a huge loss for Lebanon.
Geagea voiced hope that President
Michel Sleiman and PM Najib mikati will not bow to the trade-off set by
Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, especially in the appointments issue.