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.
House Speaker Nabih Berri told
An-Nahar daily on Sunday that he
did not take the response of former PM Saad Hariri to his call for dialogue as
a “no”, since “everyone is aware of the seriousness of the current situation
that requires collective actions.”
Berri said that when he called for dialogue, he did not mean
a dialogue limited to the situation in Tripoli “which is the priority issue
today”.
If we start by stabilizing the situation in the city, we can
easily move on to other issues provided that we do that with an open spirit,
and while being aware of the serious dangers threatening Lebanon, Berri said.
Berri said that the LAF proved itself as the country’s main
authority, adding that this institution did not spare any effort to protect
Lebanon from the south to the north; “attacking this institution is
unacceptable”, he stressed.
In response to the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain who called on their
citizens not to travel to Lebanon, urging those already there to leave it,
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told
Acharq al Awsat daily on Sunday that the
security situation in Lebanon is not worrisome until now.
Charbel called on these states to be patient and to go back
on their decision, stressing that the situation in Lebanon and in Tripoli is
not alarming so far, especially since Lebanese parties are wise and they do not
want to sabotage the country.
Charbel urged the different Lebanese parties to hold a
dialogue, hoping that a final solution can be reached as soon as possible
before the situation in the field gets out of control, and in order not to see
other countries follow in the footsteps of Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain.
In a related context, Charbel played down the seriousness of
the Gulf countries’ calls, stressing that they are preventive, precautionary
measures taken on the eve of the summer season. Charbel reassured all parties that
the situation in Tripoli is improving day by day.
Mufti of Tripoli and North Lebanon, Malek El Chaar told
al-Mustaqbal daily
on Sunday that the city of Tripoli is an Arab and patriotic city, which is
proven by its long history. Chaar stressed that “our friendly neighbor” has
always tried to portray Tripoli as a haven for terrorists and extremists.
“We were hoping that
this [neighboring] country could be credible for once, and portray the reality
as it is”, he said.
Chaar said that he was not surprised by the statements made
by Syria’s envoy to the U.N. Bashar al-Jaafari, adding that Jaafari’s
allegations aimed at portraying Tripoli as a haven for terrorists.
MP Antoine Zahra told
al-Mustaqbal daily on Sunday that the
lawsuit filed against Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea for placing on MP Michel Aoun and Aounist figures the
moral responsibility for all political assassinations and assassination
attempts that have occurred since 2005, is an emotional reaction since
what Geagea said is proven by media facts.
Aoun earlier held President
Michel Sleiman, PM Najib Mikati and MP Walid Jumblatt responsible for
sabotaging Lebanon. Commenting on these accusations, Zahra said “it is no
longer possible to assume that good intentions are the motives behind those who
are supporting the Syrian project aimed at portraying Lebanon as a failed and
chaotic state, and those who are fueling Hezbollah’s project to take over the
country”.