Press Digest for Saturday November 15, 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.

• Saudi Arabia says Aoun must not be elected president - sources

Diplomatic sources predicted that signing the Iranian nuclear deal may lead to hastening the election of a new president in Lebanon, adding that after closing their nuclear deal, the Iranian authorities will work on restoring Arab and international recognition for Syrian President Bashar Assad, before opening the files of Lebanon, Iraq and other countries.

In a statement to as-Safir daily, the sources said that Saudi Arabia will impose conditions before approving to recognize Assad for a new mandate as Syria’s president.

“These conditions are respecting of the Taef Agreement and not electing MP Michel Aoun as Lebanese president,” the sources explained.

•  Lebanese authorities ready to negotiate with al-Nusra Front over reasonable grounds - daily 

Well-informed sources revealed that the Qatari envoy working as a mediator in the negotiations conducted between the Lebanese authorities and the kidnappers of the Lebanese troops in Arsal left Lebanon on Thursday and headed to Qatar in order to conduct contacts.

The sources told al-Joumhouria daily that the Lebanese government informed al-Nusra Front via the mediator, that it is ready to negotiate over reasonable grounds, stressing that imposing impossible conditions will lead them nowhere.  

•  Abou Faour says the cases that were opened will never be closed 

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour responded to the campaign launched against his movement, stressing that he will not give up his efforts. 

In a statement to as-Safir newspaper, the minister said that the cases that were opened in this food safety campaign will never be closed without resolving them, adding that next week the case of the water quality will be tackled.

Meanwhile, Abou Faour noted that at least 15 unlicensed beauty salons were closed, within the campaign launched to protect the Lebanese people from insecure products.  

• Pinheiro: Failing to monitor flow of fighters into Syria is contribution to terrorism 

The chairman of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria Paolo Pinheiro said that the International Community has to control the fighters joining the Islamic State from all over the world, noting that “leaving the doors open and failing to conduct air monitoring to prevent these extremists from traveling to Syria is considered a contribution to terrorism.”

Pinheiro told al-Joumhouria daily that there are many ways to control this flow of fighters and funds, such as monitoring the bank transfers, the main method through which the terrorist groups are being funded.