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-Mustaqbal newspaper published on Monday Wikileaks cable 1559, issued by the U.S. Embassy to Lebanon saying that the Free Patriotic Movement’s (FPM) leader Michel Aoun said that the Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah can easily manipulate Shiites in the country, adding that he doubts that Hezbollah want a Defensive Strategy to protect Lebanon.
“Nasrallah might be deceptive”, the cable quoted Aoun as saying.
According to the cable Aoun said. “Only time can wipe out Hezbollah’s glory in fighting Israel, I believe that the party will start losing its popular support progressively” Asked about the US concerns about the constant military operations on Israel Aoun said “Nasrallah will back up soon and logically Hezbollah cannot defend south Lebanon against an Israeli invasion or attack IDF forces on the border”.
According to
Al-Mustaqbal Aoun promised top US officials to preserve a calm situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, ruling out the possibility of an Israeli invasion if Hezbollah is disarmed. “I suggest that the IDF retreats from Shebaa Farms so Hezbollah would not have any reason to keep the arms and this issue should be discussed in a national dialogue”.
According to
As-Safir newspaper Speaker Nabih Berri said that the reaction to the Syrian breaches on the northern border is unjustified and irrelevant as some people are trying desperately to incite strife, adding that the Lebanese-Syrian border is not delimited and no one can claim that the Syrian Army was on our territory while tracking arms smugglers.
Berri said that the security agreements between Lebanon and Syria should be the only source to solve this type of issues, adding “If according to the agreements we found that the Syrian army was on our land then we would only resort to governmental institutions to get our rights”.
“If the Syrian army was not found guilty then I suggest that those who are making a bid deal out of it to shut up”
“It is weird how some people compare a Syrian breach and constant Israeli breaches on our land and national soils”
According to
Al-Safir newspaper the Minister of Health Ali Hassan Khalil gave positive comments on the wage adjustment issue apparently to be solved soon.
“We might reach a solution in this regard, one that can make all parties happy as all numbers could be discussed to meet peoples’ demands”, Khalil was quoted as saying
According to
An-Nahar the Former PM Saad Hariri told the Future Movement leadership headed by MP Fouad Seniora who met on Saturday night that he still has faith in March 14 coalition that should be preserved in order to establish and impose the rule of rule in Lebanon.
Hariri stressed on the Muslim-Christian equality in the Lebanese society as it is the key success of a democratic state and expressed his support to the Arab Spring in particular to the Syrian people in his struggle for freedom and democracy.
Sources close to the General Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Judge Daniel Bellemare told
Al-Akhbar newspaper that tensions rose in the STL office between Bellemare and some members of the tribunal after he lost all appeals to the Appeals Chamber who approved to give General Jamil Sayyed investigation document so the later can legally persecute those responsible of his arbitrary extradition.
Bellemare expressed his dissatisfaction with Cassese’s decision and said “Does Cassese understand that the Court's jurisdiction is not Jamil Sayyed, but Rafik Hariri? ".