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.
Al-Akhbar Daily reported on Tuesday that a
Syrian national was arrested three days ago for entering Lebanon illegally. Pictures
of dead people, al-Qaeda chants and photos of Osama bin Laden were found stored
in his phone.
The Daily added that investigations revealed
that this man was fighting under the banner of al-Qaeda and he confessed having
slaughtered dozens of Syrian soldiers. According to the newspaper, he was first
arrested for entering the country illegally, but investigations later showed
that he was a fighter and member of the “Farouq Battalion” affiliated to
al-Qaeda.
Al-Akhbar revealed that the Syrian national
was also involved in the killing of soldiers in the Syrian army who were
detained in al-Qusayr.
The arrested Syrian was born in 1981 in the
Syrian town of al-Qusayr, near the Lebanese border.
- Sleiman did
not call Assad to congratulate him on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr
Al-Akhbar
Daily reported on Tuesday that for the first time since 2008, Lebanese
President Michel Sleiman did not call his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad to
congratulate him on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. The Daily pointed out that the
last phone call between the two heads of state took place after the bombing of
the National Security building in Damascus that killed several Syrian officials
including Assad’s brother-in-law General Assef Shawkat.
The Daily
added that among the many ambassadors who reproached Sleiman for not calling
his Syrian counterpart was the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly who
seems to be adopting the same approach of her predecessors Michel Sisson and
Jeffrey Feltman by meddling in Lebanon’s internal
affairs.
- Mikati:
Cabinet has not and will not fail to follow up on the Lebanese abductees’ case
Prime
Minister Najib Mikati told
As-Safir Daily on Tuesday that the cabinet has not and will not
fail to follow up on the case of the Lebanese abductees in Syria, adding “the
cabinet made this case its utmost priority and is following up on it with
regional and international parties, mainly with Turkish officials in order to
ensure the safe return of all Lebanese men to their families”.
Mikati told
the Daily that the political hype induced by some domestic parties should not
mask the fact that the situation in the region is “extremely difficult” and
that its repercussions on Lebanon are “highly critical”.
“The
situation requires halting bids and controversies and doing whatever it takes
to protect the country’s interest and keep it away from danger at this stage”,
he added.
Al-Akhbar Daily reported on Tuesday that Damascus' First Attorney-General Mohammed Marwan al-Loji is preparing prosecution warrants against Lebanese figures on charges of supporting armed groups.
Al-Loji explained that these figures include MPs accused of supporting armed terrorist groups in Syria by smuggling gunmen and providing weapons, adding that investigations in these cases are ongoing.
While al-Loji refused to mention names, Syrian sources said that the Lebanese figures include Future bloc MPs and officials such as the bloc’s president Saad Hariri, MPs Khaled Daher and Okab Sakr, PSP leader Walid Jumblatt and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
- Turkish
abductees shared between relatives of the 11 Lebanese abductees and al-Mokdad
Clan
Al-Hayat Daily
reported on Tuesday that when Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour called the brother
of kidnapped Hassan al-Mokdad, Hatem al-Mokdad, and kindly asked him to release
Turkish national Toufan Teykan,
he said: “How do you want us to release him when you are contacting Turkish
officials to release the 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Aazaz without mentioning my
brother Hassan?”
When The Daily asked a high-level official
source on the place where the second Turkish abductee Abdel-Basset Arslan is detained, the answer was “we were
told and it seems that the Turkish abductees were shared; in any case, we are checking
all reports in this regard”.