Press Digest for Saturday December 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 Helou says he might be the consensual president 

MP Henry Helou stressed that he does not have a parliamentary bloc of 30 deputies, but his bloc has nominated him as a presidential candidate, noting that he has acquired popularity among the Christian community during his years of work in the political field and the private sector.

In a statement to as-Safir daily, MP Helou stressed that he belongs to a party that believes in openness and dialogue, pointing out that he is included in the list of consensual candidates mentioned by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who revealed that the declared candidates have no chances in being elected, such as head of Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun and the Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.  

• Bogdanov calls for swift presidential elections 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Russian President’s envoy to the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov stressed that he urged the Lebanese officials to elect a new president the soonest possible.

In a statement to al-Joumhouria daily, Bogdanov denied that Russia has any preference for a candidate over the other, reiterating his country’s position, whereby he noted that the presidential issue is a matter that concerns only the Lebanese.  

• Israel might have started to steal Lebanon’s oil and gas - sources 

Sources concerned with the oil sector revealed to al-Joumhouria daily that “foreign oil experts have provided officials with information, alerting them against Israel’s attempt to steal Lebanon’s oil and gas reserve that exists in the Lebanese territorial waters.”

According to the sources, Israel might have started its theft while ignoring Lebanon’s demands and complaints filed with the United Nations and the International Community, accusing Israel of infringing over 870 square kilometers of Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone, when it demarcated its borders with Cyprus.    

• Hezbollah-Future dialogue will not start in the upcoming days - sources 

Sources following up on the preparations underway for the dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement ruled out the possibility that the first round of talks will start within the few upcoming days, expecting however that it will start definitely before Christmas holiday.

In a statement to an-Nahar newspaper, the sources said that setting the date for the dialogue will not pose an obstacle for the event, noting that the preparations have been creating a positive atmosphere.