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.
Official Turkish sources told
Al Akhbar daily that the purpose behind the visit of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Lebanon is to convey one message to Lebanese politicians. The sources stressed that the message will say that a major event will occur in the region and that Lebanon has to do everything possible to avoid a civil war. The sources added that Davutoglu’s schedule includes a visit to Lebanese religious leaderships.
Sources familiar with the meeting between Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and PM Najib Mikati reported that Mikati was blamed for his “unilateral decision to fund the STL” and was told that he “had broken [his promises] and betrayed [his allies]”.
The sources told
Al-Joumhouria daily that the remarks that were said to Mikati regarding the STL protocol were loud and clear: “If you intend to resign once the fate of the protocol will be up to discussions, tell us now instead of repeating the funding scenario when you threatened to resign. Know that if you resign, it will not only mean that you have resigned from your post as Premier, it will also mean that the whole country has resigned.”
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told
An-Nahar daily that the international organization regards Lebanon as a very important country that played a vital role in peace and stability in the Middle East and has a regional influence. Ban added that with the major changes sweeping through the region in the context of the Arab Spring, it has become more important to maintain peace and stability in Lebanon.
“This is the reason why I chose for Lebanon to be the first country that I visit in the beginning of this new year, also marking the start of my new mandate”, Ban said.
Ban stressed that Lebanon is not a troubling country, as some would like to make it to be, however it is suffering from some problems. Ban voiced hope that Lebanese political officials show more unity and promote democracy to ensure social, economic and political development.
Ban said that he worries about Lebanon because of the divergent points of view, adding that the process of arriving to power should be transparent and conducted according to the provisions of the law.
Ban warned that Lebanon is experiencing hard times, urging all political leaders to overcome sectarian and political divisions, stressing that spiritual leaders can also play a primordial role in this regard.
Ban also told
Al Hayat daily that he has a “strong message” to deliver to Syrian President Bashar Assad from Beirut. “Assad has lost his legitimacy and should stop killing his people. He has to take bold measures to introduce the needed reforms before it’s too late”, Ban said.
An-Nahar daily reported that, the report issued on the crash of the Ethiopian Airline plane showed that the pilot made 15 mistakes in less than 3 minutes. According to the daily, the report said that he had made so many mistakes that the plane’s devices were no longer capable of responding to his instructions.
The Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed into the Mediterranean less than four minutes after takeoff on Jan. 25, 2010, after performing two maneuvers ordered by Beirut’s Air Traffic Control team. All 90 people aboard were killed.
Al Akhbar quoted a source close to the Free Patriotic Movement as hinting at the possibility that the Head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun wishes to exchange bloc’s MP Neemtallah Abi Nasr for former mayor of Jounieh Juan Hobeich.
The sources said that this wish stems from the fact that Hobeich proved in the last municipal elections that he has an exceptional electoral force compared with all other bloc MPs. The sources added that Aoun also wishes to exchange MP Gilberte Zouein, the most popular amongst Aoun’s MPs, for the potential candidate Roger Azar.