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.
- Bassil:
Christians have a rare and real opportunity
Energy
Minister Gebran Bassil said to
An-Nahar
newspaper that Lebanon is in front of a rare and real opportunity seemingly since
Christians are given the chance to adopt an electoral law that best represents
them.
"As long as we all agree on the Orthodox gathering draft
law, it should be passed and an accomplishment should be recorded," he
added.
As-Safir
newspaper said that the Lebanese President Michel Sleiman contacted Speaker Nabih
Berri on Monday and discussed with him various topics including the electoral
law and the Orthodox gathering draft.
In this
context, Speaker Berri said to
As-Safir that he is not against the Orthodox
gathering draft law if Christians agree on it and added that the Development and Liberation Bloc will express this stance during the meeting of the
sub-parliamentary committee.
Berri pointed
out that the committee will be holding continuous meetings so it may reach an
electoral law which will be referred to the joint committee in order to complete
discussions and submit it to the general authority.
For his part, the Head of the National Struggle Front bloc MP Walid Jumblatt said
that he does not accept the Orthodox gathering draft law seemingly since it is
a dangerous venture that includes significant risks.
Jumblatt
said to
As-Safir that this draft law is against the principle of co-existence
and 'what is left from the Taif Agreement' and pointed out that reconsidering the division of
constituencies is an issue and voting on the basis of the sectarian
division is another issue.
As for the
representative of the Change and Reform Bloc at the sub-parliamentary
committee, MP Alain Aoun, he said that the aforementioned electoral draft is
considered an important step for Christians and warned of any impediments from
the Future Bloc by exerting pressures on the Lebanese Forces.
MP Aoun had asked the
Kataeb Party and the LF to adhere to what was agreed upon in Bkerke.
In this
context, sources close to the March14 forces said that the agreement between the
Kataeb Party, LF, FPM, and Marada on the Orthodox gathering draft law falls
under the mutual Christian bidding.
The sources stressed that what serves the
Christians of March14 is the 50-districts electoral law.
Meanwhile, a Parliamentary source in the Future Movement said that he rules out
the fact that Hezbollah agrees on the previously mentioned draft law and added
that the stance of the Future Movement is clear; "refusing any draft law
that includes proportionality and rejecting the Orthodox gathering for it violates
the constitution."
- Christian quartet committee: Orthodox gathering draft law has not
yet been adopted
Sources close
to the Christian quartet committee which convened on Sunday in
Bkerke to discuss the electoral law said to
An-Nahar Daily that the Orthodox
gathering draft law was not fully adopted, but it was agreed upon by Christian
political forces especially since it is an initiative for upcoming discussions.
The sources added that the quartet committee
called for resolving the issue of the electoral law before discussing the number of constituencies.
It is worth
noting that the sources mentioned that the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai
did not take any side during the meeting, but was pleased that Christians agreed
on an electoral law that corrects the imbalance in Christian
representation.
- Future Movement refuses Orthodox gathering draft law
Future Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat said
that he will be participating in the sub-parliamentary committee tasked with discussing the electoral law so a new law that gives all Lebanese
nationals their democratic rights may be reached.
Fatfat assured to
Al-Joumhouria Daily that
the Future Movement rejects the Orthodox gathering draft law
since it is not constitutional and added that the movement is with the majoritarian system which is based on the smaller districts
electoral law.
For his part, MP Serge Torsarkissian said that what
was agreed upon in Bkerke does not reflect the choice of all Christian Deputies
and added that the aforementioned draft law is not constitutional, but
sectarian.