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.
- Berri is upset, advises Mikati to postpone his visit to
Istanbul
An-Nahar daily reported on Sunday that PM Najib Mikati
received advice from House Speaker Nabih Berri to postpone his visit to
Istanbul if this visit does not lead to the release and return of the Lebanese
abductees. Berri advised him to meet with Turkish officials only if he receives
confirmed information that they will be released; otherwise, the visit would be of no use, he said.
Berri told his visitors “what happened with the abductees
until now is like a huge lie, God was helping their families; we will continue searching for them till the end”.
- Al-Zoaby announces that one of the Lebanese abducted men is injured
Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zoaby, head of the Free People of
Syria group, who played the role of the mediator in the issue of the Lebanese men
abducted in Aleppo, told
Al Rai Kuwaiti newspaper on Sunday that the abductees are safe and sound and that they
are now in Turkey. “They were not subject to any arm and there is one injured man among them”.
Al-Zoaby said that the Turkish
intelligence knows all the details on the abductees, adding that the Turkish
leadership denied that they entered Turkish territories for security considerations.
He said that there are confirmations that the bus
carrying the Lebanese pilgrims included "things" to support the Syrian regime,
wondering “why is Turkey denying that the abductees are now on its territory?”
Al Zoaby added that he was sure a certain deal was being made.
For his part, the President of the Lebanese Institute for Democracy and Human Rights Nabil al-Halabi said that one of
the obstacles that prevented the release of the Lebanese hostages in Syria is
the fact that some Syrian opposition members called for the release of Abbas
Chouaib and the 10 other kidnapped. Chouaib is wanted by the rebels for
training “Shabbiha” members.
Halabi assured that the kidnappers are not members
of the Syrian opposition, rather a group of smugglers of whom the Free
Syrian Army takes advantage, like in all armed conflicts, to smuggle arms to
the Syrian territory.
Halabi told
Acharq al Awsat newspaper that, from the
beginning, the abductors wanted money in return for their release.
Halabi added that some Lebanese parties paid the ransom required
for their release; “the ransom’s value increased on Friday, but still, the Lebanese
parties agreed to pay it.”
- Suleiman seeks a Lebanese “Doha agreement” for the survival
of state institutions
A source close to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman told
Al
Seyassah al Kuwaiti newspaper on Sunday that the national dialogue committee
convened due to several internal and external factors. It stressed the
necessity to organize Lebanese disputes and put an end to the dangerous
repercussions of the Syrian revolution on Lebanon.
The source added that what the President is mostly concerned about
is the undermined confidence in the official security and military forces due
to the attempt by some political leaders to involve them in political
disputes. The weakened confidence was also shown by the arrest of Shadi
el-Mawlawi by the General Security and the killing of the two Muslim clerics at a
military checkpoint in Akkar.
Suleiman aims at relieving the domestic atmosphere by
finding a calm platform for political competition, without resorting to arms whenever
a clash erupts.
The sources said that Suleiman wants to reach a Lebanese “Doha”
that would compell all parties to abandon arms and refrain from using them on the domestic
scene in order for the state institutions to survive.
- Ossairi: We are keen on
Lebanon’s stability and civil peace
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad al-Ossairi told
Al
Mustaqbal daily on Sunday that Saudi Arabia has no intention to evacuate its
nationals from Lebanon, adding that the evacuation plan set by the Saudi
embassy will only be implemented when needed.
Ossairi praised the
Lebanese parties' positive response to the cable sent by Saudi King Abdullah Bin
Abdul Aziz to President Michel Suleiman stressing the King’s keenness on
Lebanon’s stability and civil peace.
Ossairi said that the response to the President’s call for dialogue will be fruitful, hoping
that it would constitute "the consensual road map for all political forces in order to
immunize Lebanon, and maintain its security and territorial integrity."