Press Digest for Monday September 17, 2012

• The electoral law’s war to be declared
  

An-Nahar Daily expected on Monday that the tensions between Christian leaders will be rising after Bkirki’s electoral committee failed to convene.        

According to the daily, the minutes of the committee’s meetings can reveal the truth behind the discussions and the agreements between the parties, however one of the participants told the newspaper that the official records are in the Patriarchate, stressing that the decision of exposing such documents is up to Patriarch Rai.       

• 3 of the Lebanese detainees in Syria to be released within a few hours          

Sources familiar with the Lebanese detainees in Syria’s case told Al Joumhouria Daily that “the latest negotiations have yielded an agreement on releasing at least 3 hostages within the next few hours."          

The sources added that MP Okab Sakr, National Syrian Council’s member Ibrahim Al Zoubi, one European man from Arab origin known as “Abou Mohammad” and Sheikh Bilal Dokmak participated in the negotiations. 

• Cannabis destroying campaign resumes tomorrow     

An-Nahar Daily pulished on Monday that the LAF is expected to resume the cannabis destroying campaign in the north of Bekaa.      

The residents are furious and are extremely against this process. They also criticized Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah for remaining silent.         

In this context, Hezbollah and Amal Party informed that they fully support the campaign but asked the authorities to settle the matter with the clans opposing the process in order to avoid bloodshed.          

• Sleiam gets ready to reveal his defense strategy proposal        

Al Joumhouria Daily said on Monday that President Michel Sleiman is getting ready to reveal his defense strategy proposal during the 14th session of the National Dialogue scheduled on next Thursday.           

In this context, March 14 sources told the daily that the decision to participate in the session or not will be taken within the next few days, stressing that the president will be informed of the decision.          

• Assad’s regime demands Lebanon to pay $50,000,000      

Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah published on Monday that Syrian diplomats to Lebanon informed PM Najib Mikati that Lebanon should pay its debts to Syria.      

The sources said that the Syrian officials told Mikati that the Syrian government is ready to collect the due payments in batches but as soon as possible.        

According to the sources, this proves that Energy Minister Gebran Bassil received a phone call from his Syrian fellow minister who offered to sell him bigger amounts of electricity energy.