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.
Foreign Minister Adnan
Mansour stressed that Lebanon is the most affected country by the Syrian
crisis, due to its geographic position and historical relations, noting that
any incident occurring in Lebanon’s neighboring region has its repercussions
and impacts. Mansour pointed, at the same time, that the internal Lebanese
front is coherent and aware, “because the Lebanese politicians and officials
know very well that war destroys everything”.
Answering a question on
Hezbollah assuming responsibility of the reconnaissance plane, Mansour told
An-Nahar Daily that Lebanon is not the one violating resolution 1701;
however, it has been respecting it since 2006 by deploying army in the South
and restraining from conducting any military operation. He said that “Israel is not respecting the
aforementioned resolution and has violated it more than ten thousand times
since 2006”.
The Foreign Minister
considered that sending the reconnaissance plane came as a response to the
Israeli violations, noting that Lebanon will assume Hezbollah’s position regarding
this issue.
Separately, Mansour revealed that the Foreign Ministry has
accomplished the diplomatic profiles, and that the solution of the
administrative appointments’ issue will soon see the light.
Diplomatic sources told
Al-Mustaqbal Daily that the UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will not
visit Lebanon within his current tour to a number of the region’s
countries.
The sources said that he
will not visit Beirut even though he is looking into issues related to the Syrian
refugees and distancing Lebanon from the repercussions of the Syrian crisis.
Top sources told
An-Nahar
Daily that the investigations regarding the escape of three Fatah al-Islam members
from Roumieh prison are underway and the final report has not yet been
prepared; however, it has been revealed that they might have used fake IDs at
the prison’s main gate.
This suggestion is more
likely to be true due to the absence of ropes, blankets or even broken windows,
which are usually found following an escape operation.
- Eichhorst: We oppose violation of any country’s
airspace
The European Union
ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst commented on
Hezbollah’s reconnaissance plane sent to Israel, stressing that the European
Union opposes violation of any country’s airspace, whether it was Lebanon or
Israel.
Eichhorst told
Al-Hayat Newspaper that EU is
seeking to help in reducing escalation movements. “We do not think that there
is any need for escalation, we stress that calm must prevail over Lebanon”, she
added.
Commenting on the Lebanese cabinet’s decision
to adopt impartiality towards the Syrian crisis, Eichhorst said: “This is not
impartiality. Impartiality is a deep concept adopted by members and non-members
of the European Union such as Switzerland. To be impartial means that all
institutions in the country, the system and the people must support the concept”.