Press Digest for Tuesday May 22, 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.     

• Bilal Chaaban: we work in the North according to two agendas         

The Secretary General of the Islamic Tawhid Movement in Tripoli Sheikh Bilal Chaaban wondered about the relation between Jabal Mohsen and the arrest of Shadi al-Mawlawi, noting that the majority of Mosque preachers work on the basis of what the listeners’ requests.              

Chaaban told Al-Akhbar daily that the work in the North goes according to two agendas: the Future Movement wants to go back to power and the Muslims want the expulsion the Lebanese Army from the North so they will be free in hitting the Syrian army.          

Chaaban expressed his surprise concerning the Jihadists’ confidence in US agents, and commented on attempts of provocations and clashes with the Movement and Sheikh Hashem Minkara: “everybody knows that the internal conflict is very expensive, what these people have done is not a planned clash, they were playing with the fire. I hope they learned their lessons.”                 

• Meeting for Tripoli authorities in Kabbara residence

As-Safir daily reported that a meeting was held in the residence of MP Mohammad Kabbara which lasted until late on Monday night, between Minister Ahmad Karami, Ahmad Safadi representing Minister Mohammad Safadi, MPs Ahmad Fatfat, Samir al-Jeser, and Qassem Abed al-Aziz as well as a number of clergy.          

The participants called on the government to assume its full responsibilities in order to prevent sedition, work on punishing the security forces who committed the crime, control the work of all security forces belonging to a military institution and all the other security forces. They stressed that the mission of such forces is to protect people not to humiliate them and kill them.          

The participants in this meeting called on PM Najib Mikati to assume his responsibilities towards Tripoli, the North and Lebanon with all his constitutional powers to prevent sedition.           

• Mikati cancels Spain trip due to the situation           

An-Nahar newspaper reported that PM Najib Mikati decided to cancel his official visit to Spain which as supposed to take place soon. This decision came due to the security situation prevailing over Lebanon.             

• Security madness hit airport           

Al-Akhbar daily said that the Lebanese people did not have enough from the madness taking over the streets through clashes claiming the lives of the citizens and damaging their properties. The airport security system received information that could double the intensity of this madness.             

This information warns against a Pakistani citizen who might put chemicals in the ventilation system of the airport. Based on this information received from a foreign intelligence and supported by a graphic simulator to the wanted person, the airport security started interrogating every person who has the features of an Indian or Pakistani.          

According to the daily, the airport security asked the companies charged with the airport’s maintenance to take the utmost caution and cares to prevent this conspiracy from taking place.