Press Digest for Sunday July 06, 2014

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.

• MP Hamadeh says presidential discussions are ongoing

MP Marwan Hamadeh stated on Sunday that talks pertaining to the presidential elections did not stop yet; however, pointed out that no serious initiative that ends presidential void has been discussed yet.

Hamadeh told the Kuwaiti newspaper As-Seyassah that MP Michel Aoun’s call to amend the constitution targets the national pact and aims at hindering the work of constitutional institutions.

On another note, Hamadeh said that Syrian intelligence services are threatening Christians in Bekaa in a bid to mobilize minorities and incite strife between Christians and Muslims.

• Former MP Alloush: MP Aoun is not a centrist candidate

Former MP Mustafa Alloush said on Sunday that discussions have stopped between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Future Movement in all issues pertaining to the presidential elections, seemingly since the said parties were not able to reach an agreement.

Alloush told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the Future Movement would have adopted the candidacy of FPM leader MP Michel Aoun if he announced his readiness to adhere to the Baabda Declaration and to support the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, adding that the latter should have also called on Hezbollah to give its weapons to Lebanese authorities.

In the same regard, Alloush said that Aoun did not manage to be a centrist candidate, emphasizing that regional circumstances were not the reason why Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri did not adopt Aoun’s candidacy.

• Regional conflicts hindered presidential discussions – FPM official

Free Patriotic Movement official Antoine Nasrallah stated on Sunday that regional developments, mainly in Iraq and Syria, hindered presidential discussions between the FPM and the Future Movement; however, pointed out that dialogue is continuous at the governmental and parliamentary levels.

In the same regard, Nasrallah denied via Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper any direct contact between FPM Leader MP Michel Aoun and Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Nasrallah also mentioned that MP Aoun’s presidential initiative which stipulates that the people elect the president aimed at ending vacuum.        

“Instead of the campaigns that targeted MP Aoun, Lebanese factions should have launched other presidential initiatives,” Nasrallah said.