Press Digest for Sunday February 08, 2015

3^min

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.

Future Bloc MP Qabbani hails progress in dialogue with Hezbollah

“The progress that has been achieved in dialogue sessions with Hezbollah is acceptable and encouraging,” Future Bloc MP Mohammad Qabbani told the Kuwait-based Al-Seyassah newspaper on Sunday.

“We don’t expect that this dialogue would lead to key strategic agreements but we content ourselves with the [positive] atmosphere surrounding it, i.e. the Lebanese people that has welcomed dialogue,” MP Qabbani said.

He also lauded efforts to remove political posters and party banners from neighborhoods - although limited to coastal cities – as a positive move.

“What matters is that we have made a step towards removing armed displays that we hope someday will lead to disarmament,” Qabbani added.

MP Karam says negotiations between LF, FPM ongoing

Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam said negotiations between the LF party and the Free Patriotic Movement are ongoing, stressing they will not be hurdled by the presidential file.

“Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea are still candidates for the presidential elections,” MP Karam said, adding “the LF party is awaiting the green light from Aoun over solutions it has proposed to settle the file”.

In an interview with the Kuwait-based Al-Seyassah daily on Sunday, MP Karam also noted that dialogue with the FPM is discussing multiple topics, saying "Hezbollah’s statements and positions will not affect dialogue".

Former MP Allouch says Hezbollah doesn’t want MP Aoun to be elected as president

Future Movement official, former deputy Mustafa Allouch, on Sunday accused Hezbollah of “seeking to extend the current power vacuum so it could implement Iran’s projects in the region without hindrance”.

“In spite of friendly relations shown in the media between Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun and Hezbollah, the latter doesn’t want Aoun to be the Lebanese president for fear he would be opposed to the group after taking office,” Allouch said.

In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, he also ruled out that the Lebanese parties would break the stalemate over the presidential file that has been stalled from over 8 months.