Press Digest for Wednesday October 12, 2011

6^min

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.

Thousands of students and teachers staying home today

An-Nahar daily reported that hundreds of thousands of students and teachers, both in private and public educational institutions, will stay home today.

They have made the decision to go through with the strike, despite the GWU decision to suspend strike action following a settlement reached with the cabinet late Tuesday night.

Berri to An-Nahar: wages settlement an achievement for the cabinet

An-Nahar daily quoted Speaker Nabih Berri as saying before a delegation from the economic committees that a “win-win solution” that pleases both parties is required.

“The members of the economic committees, especially former minister Adnan Mansour, were willing to bridge the gaps”, Berri told the local daily.

Berri phoned PM Nakib Mikati to congratulate him for the agreement reached. Speaking on the cabinet’s achievement, Berri said: “The settlement reached by the cabinet proves that PM Mikati is working hard.

The man is not the workers’ enemy and he is also keen on the well-being of the economic committees and their role in the productivity cycle.”

Berri stressed the role played by the Economy and Interior Ministries in securing price controls so citizens would be able to truly benefit from the wage raise.

Bassil to As-Safir: If a strike buys us some time so be it

As-Safir daily cited Energy Minister Jibran Bassil as saying that "instead of governing, this cabinet is governed."

Bassil added that the agreement reached is not a real drastic solution and shows clearly that the cabinet was not up to the task.

Bassil voiced surprise that the cabinet is falling into the trap of opting for a piecemeal solution in order to avoid a strike.

“If a strike on Wednesday would buy us some time to come up with a comprehensive solution, so be it. But it seems that the cabinet considers that the real achievement lies in preventing the occurrence of a strike rather than a genuine settlement to the crisis”, Bassil told the newspaper.

Acharq al Awsat: Another false warning threatens Gefinor building

Acharq al Awsat daily said that workers at the Gefinor building in the Hamra district of Beirut, where the offices of the UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are located, received a phone call on Tuesday at 11 a.m. warning against a blast that will occur at 1 p.m.

The daily reported that UN employees were asked to evacuate their offices right away. Members from the Internal Security Forces (ISF) inspected the building with the help of trained police dogs. The episode proved to be a false alarm when no explosives could be found on the premises.

A security source told the newspaper that the phone call was made from a phone booth in Beirut, adding that investigators are working round the clock to trace the call and arrest the perpetrators.

The same source was quoted as saying that all UN and EU headquarters in the country are protected and secured by the Lebanese authorities.

Heated debates to adjust wages

Al Akhbar and An-Nahar newspapers said that Tuesday’s cabinet session witnessed heated debates pertaining to the approaches put forth to adjust wages.

An-Nahar said that Speaker Nabih Berri pushed for another solution that would give a 200,000 LBP rise to workers earning less than 1,000,000 LBP and 300,000 LBP rise to workers earning more than 1,000,000 LBP without determining a ceiling.

The daily said that while Berri’s equation was being thoroughly examined by the cabinet, a sharp dispute occurred between Labor Minister Charbel Nahas, from the Change and Reform bloc headed by MP Michel Aoun, and Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, member of Berri’s ministerial share.

According to An-Nahar, the dispute included Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi who left the session early, offended by the harsh criticism made by Nahas. The daily added that Nahas slammed the plan put forth by the health minister to settle the livelihood and health coverage problems.

The daily added that, after assiduous negotiations, the cabinet decided to charge PM Mikati with the task of negotiating with the General Workers’ Union and economic committees, excluding Aoun’s ministers.

Following the session, Energy Minister Jibran Bassil said: “All these approaches and solutions put forth are just like pain killers to halt the strike, instead of bringing a radical solution to the issue they only fix it temporarily.

We fiercely oppose them since we are seeking a solution that will give birth to a brand new beginning, rather than being stuck in a never-ending vicious cycle.”