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.
President Michel Sleiman said that the position launched by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri formed the basis of a positive atmosphere on the national level and constituted a practical push to the cabinet formation process.
In this context, an-Nahar Newspaper quoted Sleiman as saying that "Hariri’s brave stance voiced during a critical time for him and his family should be appreciated."
The president also called on all the parties “not to double the list of their conditions and demands,” but to facilitate the formation of a new cabinet capable of managing the affairs of the Lebanese people and following up on the local and regional developments.
In turn, a source from the Future Movement said that Hariri’s remarks regarding the formation of a cabinet mark a remarkable progress concerning the declaration of intentions.
The head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt told an-Nahar Daily that the statement launched by former PM Saad Hariri is positive and constitutes a breakthrough in the issue of the cabinet formation process.
In this regard, caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour told the newspaper that Jumblatt conducted a series of contacts on Sunday in order to follow up on the efforts exerted to form a government. Abou Faour said that Jumbaltt contacted President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam.
The Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam stressed that the position of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who said that he will take part in a coalition government with Hezbollah, is a responsible stance and helps in easing tensions and facilitating the cabinet formation process.
In a statement to as-Safir Daily, Salam slammed the attempts to impose conditions on the content of the ministerial statement before even forming the government and the ministerial committee in charge of drafting the statement.
“These attempts violate the constitution and hinder the possibility of reaching an agreement over the cabinet's formation,” he said.
However, Salam pointed out that contacts and meetings are still ongoing in a bid to facilitate the formation, denying reports stating that the cabinet was formed and the ministerial portfolios were distributed.
The head of the Weather Forecast Department at the Civil Aviation Department at Beirut International Airport Abdel Rahman al-Zawawi said that climate conditions do not change vary over a one-year period, explaining that climate change requires 30 to 40 consecutive years of continuous climate shifts in one country.
In a statement to an-Nahar Daily, al-Zawawi said that Lebanon’s current weather is due to the delay in rain fall, stressing that this year is witnessing cold and dry weather with northeastern winds.
In this context, al-Zawawi said that the weather forecast department expect heavy rains and snowfall early February, then in March and April.