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.
Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn
said that compromises will not be taken regarding what happened in Arsal and
added that targeting the prestige of the Military Institution is unacceptable.
Ghosn told
As-Safir that the Arsal issue is intolerable and stressed that there
is no authority above that of the state and no power above that of the LAF.
Sources following up on the Arsal incident told
An-Nahar
newspaper on Saturday that the Army Command informed all concerned persons that it will be
taking escalatory measures until arresting those who attacked the LAF.
The sources added that the Army Command will not compromise on this matter especially
that the attack which kept Captain Pierre Bachaalany and First Sergeant Ibrahim Zahraman killed
and another 10 members wounded was not the first against the LAF.
MP Boutros Harb described the decision of the Government Commissioner to the Military Court,
Judge Sakr Sakr of filing a lawsuit against Mahmoud al-Hayek on charges of
attempting to assassinate him as courageous in light of Hezbollah's pressure on
the judicial authority.
Harb told
Al-Joumhouria that this issue is not personal, but it is
related to the reputation of the Judiciary and its effectiveness and pointed
out that "some judges in Lebanon are keen on achieving justice".
In the same context, Harb told
Al-Mustaqbal newspaper that judicial
bodies were complying with Hezbollah.
As for the electoral law, Harb said that Former PM Saad Hariri took the
appropriate decision to support his allies in March14,especially Christians, by calling for adopting
the smaller-districts electoral law to ensure proper representation.
Harb described Hariri's suggestion related to the electoral law as
"worth discussions" and praised the latter's commitment to his
principles in addition to his calls for adopting the smaller-districts law that
the FPM and Hezbollah rejected since "they will lose in the elections if
it were adopted".
Al-Joumhouria newspaper said on Saturday
that President Michel Sleiman contacted on Thursday night former PM Saad Hariri
and congratulated him on his stances and positions especially those pertaining
to the civil marriage law.
Sleiman praised Hariri's honesty and
stressed on the importance of seeking logic and reason in an Arab and Islamic
world heading toward extremism.
Head of the Parliamentary sub-committee MP Robert Ghanem said that Former PM
Saad Hariri's initiative may not be discussed since it is "more of political
ideas" instead of electoral ideas.
Ghanem told
al-Joumhouria that Hariri's "initiative" may not be
discussed and asked the Future Bloc MPs to adopt the necessary mechanism by
presenting an electoral draft to Speaker Nabih Berri so he may refer it to the
joint committee.