Press Digest for Friday September 07, 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. 

• Positive meetings between Sleiman and Syrian officials           

Political sources revealed to Al-Akhbar that President Michel Sleiman and the Prime Minister of Syria Wael Nader el-Halki, as well as its Foreign Minister Walid Moualem, held a positive meeting during the Non-Aligned Summit in Iran.                  

The sources stressed that the meeting that lasted for a considerable period of time was positive, calm and detailed.               

Sources mentioned that Sleiman, throughout the meeting received thorough explanations regarding the issue of Michel Samaha.               

• NSF Ministers are no longer cautious                

The Minister of Public work and Transport Ghazi Aridi declared that NSF ministers are no longer cautious regarding the series of ranks and salaries knowing that the acknowledgment of the series will be accompanied by funding sources.                           

Aridi  to Al-Mustaqbal newspaper: "numbers and imports were agreed upon that's why we approved the series".               

He added: "we don't want the country to head towards the abyss, that's why other sessions will be held by the government to agree on the full funding of the  series'". 

• Mohammad Raad responds to March 14 memorandum             

As-Safir mentioned that Head of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc MP Mohammad Raad will hold today at half past ten a press conference in the parliament dedicated to respond to the memorandum of nine items presented by March 14 to the president regarding the Syrian issue.   
               

• Calm meeting between Maronite Patriarch and Hezbollah              

As-Safir newspaper mentioned that on Thursday, the Maronite Patriarch held a meeting in Diman with a delegation from Loyalty to Resistance Bloc headed by MP Mohammad Raad.                

Sources declared that the meeting was calm and positive, explicitly discussing the Lebanese situation at the level of politics, economy, and security reaching the electoral law.