Press Digest for Saturday April 7, 2012

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.  

• Geagea: In future assassination attempts missiles might be used

The Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea told An-Nahar daily that he is determined to forge on with his political work and bear with the consequences. The picture that Geagea portrayed of Lebanon’s future leaves one thinking that the upcoming period will witness instability.  

Geagea did not rule out the possibility of missiles being using in any future assassination attempts, adding that those behind Wednesday’s attempt on his life used a professional gear made of two sniper rifles, surveillance equipment and electronic devices. The LF leader stressed that had the assassination attempt been successful, the Lebanese and Christian situations would have been bleak. “At first, I did not think that it was an assassination attempt, I thought that the two bullets were fired by mistake by one of the guards. After a friction of a second, I realized what had happened and that was when I laid down on the ground. I crawled down without raising my head or standing up until I arrived to somewhere secure. Immediately, I called my security men and told each one what needs to be done”, Geagea said.  

The LF chief added that the last time he took a walk where he was shot at Wednesday was a year ago, stressing that the sniper’s field of view was only four meters.  

• Damascus asks a reluctant Lebanon to hand over displaced Syrians
  

Lebanese ministerial sources told Al-Hayat daily that Syrian authorities asked Lebanese authorities to hand over a number of displaced Syrians residing in North Lebanon. According to the newspaper, the Lebanese authorities are reluctant to answer the call because they fear the international community’s reaction once it learns that they agreed to hand them over.  

According to the international law, the displaced should be protected regardless of the agreement ratified between Lebanon and Syria.   

Sources refused to dwell on details. They did not say whether the request was made through the Lebanese embassy in Damascus or the Secretary General of the Higher Lebanese-Syrian Council Nasri Khouri or official security channels. The sources, however, said that they doubt that Lebanese authorities answered the call of Syrian authorities.