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.
In an interview with the Kuwaiti Daily
Al Seyassah, Future bloc MP Mohammad Kabbara praised President Michel Sleiman’s “wise” positions, hoping that Lebanon will overcome the current crisis.
When asked about PM Najib Mikati’s statement about March 14 forces conspiring against him, Kabbara considered that “Mikati conspired against himself when he was forced to work against his political views,” stressing that “the current cabinet cannot resign without the authorization of Syria and Hezbollah.”
For his part, MP Ahmad Fatfat told the daily that "despite Mikati’s visit to France, the French position from his cabinet has not changed," stressing that "March 14 will not participate in a national unity cabinet."
The head of the committee charged with following up the case of the Lebanese pilgrims kept in Syria’s Aazaz Sheikh Abbas Zougheib told the Kuwaiti Daily
Al Seyassah that there is no confirmed information about the release of the detainees any time soon.
Zougheib added that “unfortunately, some are not considering the feelings of the detainees’ relatives when they spread false rumors about the release of the detainees.”
The sheikh stressed that the negotiations channels with the Turks to solve this matter are still open and that there is still hope.
Lebanese security sources told
Al Hayat Daily that the LAF Command, in collaboration with the UNIFIL forces, held investigations on Wednesday night to reveal the source of the explosion sounds that were heard on the border town of Khyam in the South of Lebanon.
The sources added that the UNIFIL’s radars did not detect the firing of any rocket in its operations area shared with the Lebanese Army, revealing that an Intelligence army unit headed to the Zefata area in Nabatieh where they found the bases of two fired rockets as well as an inactive rocket.
While International sources avoided announcing the party responsible of this operation, circulating information reported that a Palestinian extremist group is behind it.
Syrian opposition figure Haytham al-Maleh said in an interview with
Asharq Alawsat Daily that the program of the opposition’s next meeting in Cairo on the 28th of this month is still undeclared, stressing that “the meeting’s agenda will include the formation of a legal committee to prosecute the regime’s figures who committed crimes and murder against the Syrian people, and to refer them later to international courts and retrieve Syrian money from international banks.”
Maleh told the Daily that new opposition figures and parties will join the Syrian Coalition during the upcoming meetings.
When asked about the mandate of the coalition’s president, Maleh replied that it could be for 6 months, stressing that the majority will vote and decide this matter.