Press Digest for Wednesday November 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. 

• Sheikh Assir illegally benefiting from Social Security      

Exclusive sources told Al Akhbar Daily on Wednesday that the Imam of the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque Sheikh Ahmad Assir is illegally benefiting from Social Security; he is the holder of file number 313613 and is registered under the name of “Eyes of Lebanon”, an institution owned by Mohammad Moustafa al-Omar, holder of Social Security number 4261000607.  

• Christians do not fear Hezbollah    

Al-Akhbar Daily reported on Wednesday that a study conducted by “Statistics Lebanon” on the social and political reality of Christians in Lebanon including all districts showed that economic problems topped the list of the problems facing Christians, reaching 36.72% while corruption amounted to 8%.       

If the two problems are combined (45%), it turns out that the main concern of Christians is very different than what March 14’s Christians are trying to make their partisans believe. In fact, only 12% of pollsters considered that the main problem facing Lebanon is the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons while 6% said that security and stability were their major concerns.       

According to the Daily, Christians no longer fear Hezbollah; this proves that the opposition’s one and only slogan upon which it builds most of its statements and proposals no longer appeals to Christians.        

• March 14: There is no turning back from the formation of a rescue gvt        

A prominent March 14 source told An-Nahar Daily on Wednesday that dialogue with President Michel Sleiman is open to discuss the formation of a new government; “however, [March 14] will absolutely not sit at the dialogue table alongside Hezbollah.”      

The source stressed that this stance was clearly portrayed in the political statement of the March 14 coalition which will not go back on its call for a “rescue government” or its rejection of a government of national unity.         

On another note, a March 8 source told An-Nahar Daily that all parties are required to heed the call of President Michel Sleiman for dialogue, stressing that the coalition does not mind discussing a government of national unity. “This is the stance of  the National Struggle Front leader Walid Jumblatt and we endorse it.”      

• Cabinet to hear Safadi and Salameh’s assessment of new tax measures         

An-Nahar Daily reported on Wednesday that the cabinet will hear the proposals of Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi and the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon Riad Salameh on the tax measures to be taken to fund the ranks and salaries system. It is noteworthy that in the last two sessions, the cabinet had approved a good part of tax measures which will be ratified based on the assessment of Safadi and Salameh who will study their impact on the economy and inflation amid the country’s failure to register any growth.