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 Newspaper reported that the negotiations in the case
of the Lebanese hostages held in Syria’s Aazaz were being conducted with the
abductors affiliated with Liwaa Asifat al-Shamal, one of the groups fighting in Syria, with discussions mainly focusing on the release of the hostages in exchange for ransom.
In this context, a source from Liwaa Asifat al-Shamal told
the daily that the negotiations are ongoing, stressing that the outcome will be
positive. He confirmed that the Lebanese hostages held in Aazaz since May 28th 2012 are in good health and are located far from conflict areas.
Arab Democratic Party official Ali Fedda said that accusing
Tripoli’s Jabal Mohsen region of being behind the two explosions that targeted
the city in August, will have dangerous repercussions, stressing that Youssef
Diab is innocent.
In a statement to
an-Nahar Daily, Fedda denied that the
Internal Security Forces’ Information Bureau has asked him for assistance to arrest other members of the party or residents from Jabal Mohsen.
However, the official said that “the reports stating that
Youssef Diab had confirmed his involvement in the blasts are ridiculous,”
expressing skepticism regarding the circumstances that surrounded Diab’s arrest, which according to Fedda represents an accusation to
the whole region of Jabal Mohsen.
“Arresting Diab is like accusing Jabal Mohsen's residents of
killing the Sunnis of Tripoli, which is considered as an incitement aiming at
creating strife,” Fedda said.
For his part, Member of the Association
of Muslim Scholars
Sheikh Nabil Rahim told the same daily that the situation in Tripoli is worrying.
“We call for the expulsion of
the Syrian ambassador and for dismantling the Arab Democratic Party in case its
involvement were proven,” Sheikh Rhim said.
Syrian President Bashar Assad declared that he does not
regret the destruction of chemical weapons, adding that Damascus had terminated
the production of such arms in 1997, replacing them with traditional weaponry.
In a statement to
al-Akhbar Newspaper, Assad said that the
armament structure of the Syrian army is based on rockets, noting however that
eliminating the chemical arsenal is a political and moral loss for Syria.
Commenting on granting the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the Nobel peace prize, Assad said sarcastically: “This prize
should have been mine.”
On another note, the Syrian president said that the Russians’
actions and positions show that Russia seeks to defend itself, not the Syrian
regime and people, stressing that Syria’s security and stability are protected
vise a vise political stances and not via military action.
However, Assad said that the Geneva II peace
conference might not take place, revealing that the Syrian regime is ready to take part in the meeting so long as it takes into consideration Syria's demands based on holding elections and halting support for terrorists.
On the other hand, president Assad denied reports published by media outlets saying that
the member of Fatah Movement’s Higher Central Committee Abbas Zaki delivered to
him a letter from Qatar’s new Emir.
This as he declared that Hamas decided to abandon the
resistance movement and be a part of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“This is not the first time they betray us, it happened before
in 2007 and 2009,” Assad stated.
Caretaker
Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for hastening the formation of a new cabinet
capable of facing domestic challenges and the repercussions of regional
developments.
In
a statement to
as-Safir Newspaper, Mikati said that complications delaying
the formation are not related to the governmental formula, but are based on the lack of trust between the parties concerned in forming the cabinet.
Accordingly, he called
on the Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam to commit to his conscience and pursue
his discussions with President Michel Sleiman to end the crisis.
On
another note, Mikati refused to respond to the statements launched by the head of Change and Reform bloc
MP Michel Aoun whereby the latter accused Mikati of seeking to avoid his responsibilities.
“This
is not the first time MP Aoun addresses me with wrong stances, everybody knows I
assumed my responsibility amid the most difficult of circumstances, I do not need a
testimony from anyone, whether from Aoun or others,” Mikati said.
Commenting
on the issue of oil and gas exploration, the caretaker PM said that this is a national and sovereign
issue that concerns all the Lebanese parties, adding that he will not call for
an urgent cabinet session to discuss this matter unless all political parties reach an agreement in this regard.
On
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Mikati explained that the decision on whether or
not to fund the tribunal has not yet been issued, adding that the file is currently under
discussion in terms of its constitutional and legal aspects.