Press Digest for Sunday November 11, 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. 

• Al-Hajjar: Hezbollah and its allies will not facilitate Sleiman’s mission                  

Future bloc MP Mohammad al-Hajjar stressed that Hezbollah and its allies have decided not to find a solution for the current crisis in order to further complicate the situation and lead the country towards greater troubles.                

In an interview with Al Seyassah al Kuwaiti Daily, al-Hajjar said that March 14 will exert all possible pressure authorized by the Constitution in order to topple Najib Mikati’s cabinet, adding that they will be expanding the protests in Beirut and Tripoli to call for the toppling of the government.               

MP Hajjar noted that President Michel Sleiman’s effort may not reach the desired results because of March 8’s reject for the cabinet’s resignation.                

• Robert Ghanem: I am against a national unity government              

MP Robert Ghanem confirmed that he will be boycotting the Parliament’s sessions, stressing on the other hand that he will continue supporting Speaker Nabih Berri, given the positions he is taking.               

In an interview with An-Nahar Newspaper, Ghanem pointed that the boycott is a right granted by the Constitution in a Parliamentary system, noting that he is against a national unity cabinet “because it was useless.” He added that the only solution is the formation of a neutral transitional cabinet, as it happened in 2005, following the assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri.                         

Ghanem called on Hezbollah to hand over the suspect in the assassination attempt which targeted MP Boutros Harb, noting that “protecting the suspect is a condemnation for the party, while handing him over is the right thing to do,” he said.                         

• Mikati to place refugees’ issue among priorities next week

Sources close to PM Najib Mikati told An-Nahar Daily that the Premier will be placing the issue of the Syrian refugees among the priorities, adding that this file will be put on discussion starting Monday during the meeting that he will head with the participation of the donor bodies.                              

In this context, the cabinet will convene on Wednesday morning at the Grand Serail, with 115 items on its agenda.               

• Sehnaoui: We implemented Charbel’s request to hide the number sending threats                         

Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui said that he implemented the request of the Interior Minister Marwan Charbel to hide the Syrian number from which threats were sent to a number of Lebanese deputies.                   


Sehnaoui told An-Nahar newspaper that when he received the letter from the Interior Ministry, he immediately issued a memorandum in this regard.