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.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told
Al Liwaa Daily on
Friday that he was informed that the Bkerke committee representing the four
main Christian movements (Kataeb, LF, FPM and Marada) has come close to completing
its task based on the adoption of the proportionality law.
On another note, Charbel said that the ministerial-security meeting expected to
be held at Baabda Palace on July 30 will revolve around the telecommunications
data. According to the Daily, the meeting will discuss whether the decisions taken during previous meetings are
adequate for security apparatuses or not.
An-Nahar Daily quoted sources close to President Michel
Sleiman on Friday as saying that all the government’s components are present in
the ministerial committee charged with studying the ranks and salaries scale
bill, adding “we can count on its [the committee] work to complete a scale for
all the state’s sectors."
An-Nahar Daily reported on Friday that the team of Prime Minister Najib
Mikati is heading towards approving all the scales of the public sector at
once, "but carefully and while making sure to avoid inflation."
Sources close to this team told the Daily that all measures
to avoid inflation are under study including ensuring imports to cover costs.
10 days went by since the brief visit of President Michel
Sleiman to Turkey during which he aimed to show the Lebanese public opinion
that Lebanese officials are closely following the 11 Lebanese abductees and that
Turkey is still exerting assiduous efforts to release them.
In this regard, well-informed Turkish sources told
As-Safir
Daily on Friday that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu briefed President
Sleiman on the two-month-long Turkish efforts in this regard, pointing out that
Ankara has never stopped pressuring the Syrian abductors to
release the 11 Lebanese pilgrims.
The sources
told the Daily that the 11 Lebanese abductees are safe and sound and “will not
be subject to any harm”.
The sources
stressed that Turkey is keen on keeping contact with Hezbollah, adding that its
ambassador to Lebanon Inan Ozyildiz will pay a visit to
Hezbollah’s International Relations official Ammar Moussawi on Friday to discuss a
number of issues, mainly the Syrian one.
During their contacts with Hezbollah, Turkish
officials stressed the necessity that the party’s officials understand the nature
of the Syrian revolution which is according to them “the revolution of a people
who rose up against oppression and started a peaceful protest that was not
heeded by the regime." The Turks reportedly called on Hezbollah officials to
reconsider their strategies and plans for the post-Assad era.
Sources from
the ministerial majority told
Al Akhbar Daily on Friday that the consecutive
negotiations between the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah in the past 2
weeks solved the dispute that erupted between them due to the EDL contract workers
issue.
Sources from
March 8 and the Change and Reform bloc announced that the essence of the crisis
has been resolved.
According to
sources that played the role of mediator between the conflicting parties, the
solution must guarantee the amendment of the law issued by the Parliament
regarding granting tenure to EDL contract workers, "without abolishing it or considering it as nonexistent".