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.
State Minister for administrative development Mohammad
Fneish held on Monday the March 14 coalition responsible for the disruption of
the cabinet formation process as well as the work of constitutional
institutions.
“When Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calls
for partnership and equality between two parties while suggesting the 6-9-9
governmental formula, his proposal is not a sign of 'superiority',” Fneish told
the Kuwait-based
Al Anbaa daily.
Separately, Fneish slammed calls on Hezbollah to withdraw
from Syria and to abide by the Baabda Declaration as a prelude to form a new
cabinet, and said: “Those conditions aim at hurdling the formation of a new
government”.
A delegation of the Free
Patriotic Movement is set to hold a meeting on Thursday with Future bloc deputies
at the parliament with talks featuring high on local issues.
In this regard, Future bloc
MP Jamal al-Jarrah told
An-Nahar newspaper that several files will tackled,
such as the formation of a new cabinet, the political vacuum, the Baabda
Declaration, the dissociation policy and Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria.
MP Jarrah hoped the meeting
will yield positive results and all the Lebanese parties will reach common
ground.
As-Safir daily revealed on
Monday the details behind the attack that targeted citizens from Tripoli’s Jabal
Mohsen two days ago.
On Saturday around 3 pm, a
bus carrying 12 workers from a restaurant in Beirut, two of whom were from Bab
al-Tabbaneh, parked near Tripoli's Dar al-Salam school. Later on, a number of gunmen
intercepted the bus and ordered the driver to enter Bab al-Tabbaneh.
The passengers were asked to get off the bus while a number
of gunmen had cordoned off the area.
The assailants then shot 6 passengers out of 10 and only 4
had managed to escape.
President Michel
Sleiman is due to visit Saudi Arabia this week for talks with high-ranking Saudi
officials on the Lebanese political crisis and developments in the Arab world.
Sources told
Al-Joumhouria newspaper that talks on Sleiman’s
visit that was deferred a few weeks ago, were renewed after the President has
received a phone call from Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri and
another from Saudi Foreign Minister Saoud al-Faisal.
Saudi FM al-Faisal told Sleiman "he is welcomed in the kingdom
of Saudi Arabia at any time," and regretted that the previous date for the visit
was postponed.