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.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called on officials on Sunday to take well-devised decisions, noting that the state’s survival or demise depended on their behaviors.
Geagea told An-Nahar daily that the situation in the northern city of Tripoli was no longer acceptable, holding the caretaker government responsible for the security situation.
“President Michel Sleiman should also be in charge of the caretaker cabinet, or else the Lebanese state will be dragged into further deterioration,” LF leader said.
Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Malek Chaar told Al Liwaa newspaper on Monday that the attack he was exposed to during Tripoli's festival yesterday was "out of place," he said in reference to the speech of Future Movement MP Mohammad Kabbara and that of Taqwa Mosque Sheikh Salem Al-Rafei.
Mufti Chaar stressed the need to restore calm, to seize opportunities, to preserve internal unity as well as to thwart any attempt to weaken the general national and Islamic stance of Tripoli.
Well informed sources also reported that "the attack on Sheikh Chaar had weakened the festival and the city’s united stance regarding Tripoli’s twin blasts".
“Guests of President Michel Sleiman said he was at ease with his visit to Saudi Arabia,” official sources told Al Liwaa newspaper on Monday.
“President Sleiman’s visit will tackle relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, the regional situation, the Geneva 2 conference and the file of Syrian refugees in Lebanon,” the sources added.
On another note, well-informed sources reported that the security meeting held in the Baabda Palace aimed to follow up on the implementation of the security plan in Tripoli and to take all the needed measures to maintain security in the city.
Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun stressed on Monday that the dialogue held with the Future bloc has had positive results, and said: “both parties have intended to reach common grounds”.
“The Free Patriotic Movement is working on establishing contacts with all the Lebanese parties, mainly the Future bloc,” MP Aoun told Al Liwaa daily.
“Dialogue was held in order to find a solution to the disruption of the government’s work as well as the cabinet formation process and to avoid presidential vacuum," he added.