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.
An-Nahar newspaper quoted former PM Fouad
Siniora as saying that an appointment has been set for tomorrow in order for
March 14 to hand over a memorandum on the dialogue to the president. This appointment
will be followed by a press conference to reveal the memorandum’s content.
In this regard, MP Boutros Harb told
An-Nahar daily on
Friday that the memorandum is a historical review of previous dialogue conferences,
resolutions that were not implemented, such as the ones related to the STL and
the demarcation of borders with Syria. It also included commitment to previous
items, including the defense strategy. Harb said that the March 14 coalition is
calling for determining the fate of Hezbollah’s weapons, not for abolishing
them.
Harb added that March 14 will participate in
the dialogue table on Monday, adding that the coalition will stay at the table
depending on the suggestions of March 8, “especially that this coalition had
introduced the idea of a constitutive conference through Hezbollah Secretary General
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, while Aoun suggested tackling financial issues”.
A Lebanese Forces prominent official told
An-Nahar the reason why the LF decided not to partake in the dialogue table. He
said that going back to dialogue is like “polishing a government that is
complicit with the Syrian regime against Lebanon”. The official stressed
however that the Lebanese Forces has strong ties with its allies in March 14
and respects the president.
The official said that the memorandum that will
be handed over to President Suleiman by a March 14 parliamentary delegation
headed by Siniora fully reflects the LF’s opinion.
National Struggle Front leader MP Walid
Jumblatt told
An-Nahar newspaper that he no longer understands March 14
coalition and the way it is dealing with the call for dialogue, describing its
position as “sad, shameful and funny”.
“They say they endorse dialogue, they agree and then hesitate; they must be
in Baabda on Monday”, he said.
Jumblatt called on all parties to confirm the “disassociation policy” in
regards to the Syrian crisis. He added that no Lebanese party, no matter how
influent, can change anything, “since the Syrian issue is now in the hands of major
international actors”.
Well-informed sources told
Al-Joumhouria daily on Friday that Hezbollah is now at a dangerous crossroads
that will lead to its unexpected setback, especially that the Syrian regime,
one of its main supporters is threatened to collapse more than ever before. The
kidnapping of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims made Hezbollah announce a state of
emergency preparedness, a first since July 2006. This shows that the party
fears unexpected events.
The same sources revealed that
Hezbollah’s command called on all its members to stay fully alert to face all
possible threats that may occur in Lebanon or in Syria in the next two months.
The sources said that the party
had started to form independent groups to protect the its combatants in Lebanon
from any intervention by the security forces or by other parties working
against it in case a decision was taken to enter a decisive battle besides the
Syrian regime. The sources revealed that Syrian President Bashar Assad voiced
his fear to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Sayyed Nasrallah over a
possible shift in the Russian position towards the Syrian crisis. Therefore,
Assad called on all its allies abroad to be ready for the next stage that seems
alarming and decisive.