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.
Mediator Sheikh Wissam al-Masri said on Wednesday that the office of General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim contacted him, noting that he briefed the concerned officials on the demands issued by the Islamic State militant group.
Masri also told An-Nahar daily that he managed to lay the swap deal issue aside and move into humanitarian cases related to the situation of the displaced Syrians.
The mediator held on Tuesday a press conference in Beirut's Riyad al-Solh Square whereby he said that he met with two IS representatives in Arsal and received their demands to release the kidnapped Lebanese troops.
Well-informed sources told Al-Hayat newspaper on Wednesday that General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim met with Arsal’s deputy mayor Ahmad al-Fliti, saying “a positive atmosphere prevailed during the meeting”.
“Al-Fliti is following up closely on the file [of the kidnapped Lebanese troops],” the sources said, adding “he has proposed an initial idea to secure the release of the Arsal captives and obtained an initial response from the Islamic State group”.
“Should al-Fliti succeed in holding negotiations with the IS, he will move forward towards dealing with the Nusra Front,” the same sources said.
Speaker Nabih Berri said the Hezbollah-Future dialogue that has been launched under his patronage aims, inter alia, to take advantage of regional understandings that may take place.
“The U.S.- Iranian dialogue will eventually lead to concrete results, which would have a positive impact on the relation between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” Berri told his guests on Wednesday, as quoted by Al-Joumhouria newspaper.
“Some parties are suggesting that the dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement is an indirect dialogue between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Berri noted.
“If the dialogue has been explained as such, I don’t mind it and I don’t deny it,” he added.
Health Minister Wael Abou Faour said on Wednesday that the country is in a state of total breakdown, stressing the need to declare a public health emergency.
In this regard, Abou Faour urged Speaker Nabih Berri to convene the parliament in a plenary session to tackle the food safety law but also the state of total breakdown which is conducive to issues like food corruption.
In an interview with As-Safir newspaper, Abou Faour also asked Prime Minister Tammam Salam to call for an extraordinary cabinet session aimed to discuss the food safety dossier.