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.
Prime Minister
Najib Mikati expressed to
An-Nahar newspaper his relief regarding his expected
visit to France whereby he will meet with the French President Francois
Hollande.
Mikati said
that the government will continue its productive work until the formation of a
new one adding that it will keep pace with security, and political stability.
“There is no doubt that I have ideas
on various topics to discuss with the French President,”Mikati added.
He pointed out that agreements on
the economic, media, and cultural levels will be signed with counterpart
ministers including agreements for the exchange of experiences related to
youths, sports, and qualifying the national library.
French President Francois Hollande hoped that European, Arab and
American countries would follow the path that France followed seemingly since
it were the first western country to recognize the Syrian coalition as a legitimate
representative for the Syrian people.
Talking to
Acharq al-Awsat, Hollande said that he asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to
take advantage of the meeting of foreign ministers
of the European Union tomorrow in
Brussels to continue the persuasion process initiated
by Paris so that
European countries would
recognize the Syrian coalition.
Sources close to Sheikh Ahmad Assir said to
al-Mustaqbal Daily that
the latter was informed that he is no longer covered politically by some
parties that used to support him and Lebanese authorities are ready to arrest
him if he announces the formation of an armed wing or declares an open-ended
sit-in.
Islamic forces hoped that Assir would retreat from the idea of forming an armed
wing and focus his concern on the events taking place in Gaza seemingly since
it is the main issue on the scene.
These forces
were able to convince Assir in this issue since the main problem is not with
the Shiite community, but a political dispute with Hezbollah.
- MP Sakr: the
only weapon we’re using in Syria is our political opinion
Deputy Okab Sakr denied to
Acharq al-Awsat newspaper any intervention in the Syrian issue regarding extending fighters with money and weapons, and called on Hezbollah to change its
image in the Islamic world by
supporting the aspirations
of the Syrian
people.
MP Sakr also called on the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power in order to preserve
the country and prevent
strife and sectarian
tension which will drag Syria towards the
abyss.
“We did not use weapons in our country to know how to use them in Syria; our
only weapon there is our political opinion,” he concluded.