Press Digest for Saturday October 13, 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.

• Aoun: October 13, 1990 was the beginning of a journey                    

Head of Change and Reform Bloc MP Michel Aoun said that on the 13th of October 1990, Lebanon did not lose a battle; "surrendering for international wills means putting an end to the nation".                

Commemorating the 13th of October 1990 Aoun said to An-Nahar: "what we've previously done was not only to liberate Lebanon from the Syrian occupation, but also to liberate the country from the fundamentalism of the Palestinian, Syrian and Israeli authorities".                   

"18 September 1988 when the Syrian-American guardianship was rejected, 14 March 1989, and 13 October 1990, were dates that marked the Lebanese history" Aoun concluded.                        

For more details about Aoun's speech, please click here.

• Fatfat: Hezbollah is dragging the country into military conflicts with Israel                  

Deputy Ahmad Fatfat said on Saturday that the Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is changing Lebanon into an Iranian platform and stressed that responding to the Israeli violations must be handled by the Lebanese Army.                 

Fatfat mentioned to An-Nahar daily that Hezbollah is trying to drag the country into military conflicts with Israel.                

He added that despite March 14 calls; the government did not order security forces to close borders in order to prevent Hezbollah from smuggling weapons into Syria.                                

• Jreissati: the series of ranks and salaries will be referred to cabinet               

Minister of Labor Salim Jreissati said on Saturday that the series of ranks and salaries is approved and it will be referred to the cabinet as soon as funding sources are available.                  

As for the coming elections and the electoral law Jreissati mentioned to Al-Akhbar that if the orthodox draft is not accepted and only minorities are agreeing on the law presented by the government then "we reached a deadlock".           
               

• Postponing national dialogue till 29 November                    

Al-Liwaa newspaper mentioned on Saturday that the next session of the national dialogue is postponed until the 29th of November because the Head of the Future Parliamentary Bloc Fouad Siniora will be visiting Washington to give a lecture at Harvard University.                        

Siniora had previously told the Lebanese President about this commitment and asked him to postpone the national dialogue so he may participate in it and the President responded to his desire so that everyone participates in this dialogue.                                 

• Mikati meets the French President               

Al-Joumhouria newspaper said on Saturday that an official meeting will be held between the French president Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Najib Mikati on the sidelines of their participation in the Francophone Summit.              

According to the sources of the newspaper, the meeting will be held to discuss bilateral relations and gives an opportunity to coordinate positions which are raised in the Summit.