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.
Future Movement bloc MP Nohad el Machnouk told An-Nahar daily that Lebanon does not need to be taught security lessons by the Syrian regime that is using oppression to curb popular uprising.
The local newspaper quoted Machnouk as saying: “The Lebanese security forces are working within their means with a high sense of responsibility.”
Speaking on the remarks made by Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali, Manchouk stressed that a judicial investigation is being carried out to discover the abductors of the Syrian leader Chebli Aysami.
“The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has two choices, either to call on Ali to give his testimony in the abduction case or to urge Syria to recall its ambassador”, Machnouk added.
Al-Mustaqbal daily quoted a wikileaks
cable number 3084 issued by the U.S. embassy to Lebanon on September 23, 2005 as saying that then-ambassador Jeffrey Feltman met with Speaker Nabih Berri.
The cable adds that “the ambassador presented the speaker with a June 2000 letter written by Emile Lahoud to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in which the Lebanese president offered to accept for now -- without prejudice to future negotiations -- the UN demarcation in the Shebaa Farms region.” The cable stressed that Speaker Berri was stunned to the point of reading the Arabic version out loud repeatedly as if not able to “believe the text”.
The cable said that after muttering "this is very bad," Berri said that Lahoud would either deny he ever wrote it, or had simply unknowingly signed it because it was simply another document which had been placed before him.
According to the cable, Berri could not resist asking the Ambassador about the "rumor that the U.S. was really pushing Michel Aoun."
The Ambassador responded with a flat "that is simply not true." The Ambassador explained to Berri that the U.S. did not, and would not, have a particular candidate, which Berri seemed, upon reflection, to accept for now.
The president of oil importing companies in Lebanon Maroun Chammas told An-Nahar daily that the private sector in Lebanon is witnessing hard times.
“Lebanese companies are bearing the heavy burden of operational costs”, Chammas said, adding “Although they value their employees’ hard work, recognize their need to earn more money and acknowledge the importance of promoting their purchasing power, they are incapable of adding more to their heavy load.”
Chammas warned against the repercussions of attempting to impose the wage raise on the private sector, adding “if this option fails to please all parties, the government should resort to a different policy.”
The President of the Association for Lebanese Industrialists Neemat Frem told An-Nahar daily that following the wage raise adopted by the cabinet, unemployment rates are expected to skyrocket.
“Some companies are pondering the idea of closing their doors or relocating factories to their exportation markets”, Frem said.
The local newspaper quoted Frem as saying that the state’s interference in the market’s affairs is illegal since the employers have to engage in direct negotiations with their employees to raise wages in order to stimulate productivity.
“The actions taken a few days ago by the economic committees aim at protesting against the absence of a comprehensive package rather than the wage raise”, Frem said.
The Head of the General Labor Confederation (GLC) Ghassan Ghosn told An-Nahar daily that a delegation from the GLC will visit Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas Monday afternoon, to urge him to fill the legal loopholes regarding the wage adjustment decree.
The newspaper cited Ghosn as saying: “Labor Minister Nahhas had acknowledged before the presence of loopholes in the decree.”
Ghosn added that he will call on Nahhas to raise the ceiling rather than limiting the decision to raise wages to those earning less than 1.8 million LBP.
“The labor minister has the right to amend the decree under the condition that the loopholes be justified”, Ghosn said.
Ghosn stressed the need to spare workers who might not benefit from the wage raise the burdens of this decision.