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.
European diplomatic sources reported to
As Safir Daily that several European countries, including France, are refusing to include Hezbollah on the European Union’s terrorist blacklist.
The sources added that the US and Israel are exerting pressure on the UK and Italy to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, stressing that France is not convinced that the Lebanese party is involved in a bus attack that killed five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria on July 18 2012.
In this context, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy’s spokesman Michael Mann told the newspaper that the Burgas blast is not officially included on the agenda of the European Union’s Council expected to convene today. However, he emphasized that it could be discussed once suggested by presidents of European states.
Al Akhbar Daily published on Thursday that PM Najib Mikati
admitted during the cabinet session on Tuesday that he was mistaken when
he first commented on the Arsal ambush following his meeting at the
Defense Ministry with Army Commander Jean Kahwahi and Minister Fayez
Ghosn on Sunday.
According to the newspaper, Mikati stressed that the Arsal incident is unacceptable and called for prosecuting the assaulters.
Al Akhbar Daily will be publishing starting next Wednesday extracts from the book issued by the Free patriotic Movement entitled “Al-Ibra’ Al Mustahil” (Impossible Exoneration).
The extracts include reports on the financial accounts of the Lebanese state after the Taif Agreement .
According to the reports, LBP 250,000 Billion were spent by the governments without legal references from 1993 up until 2010.
The book reveals how the governments that ruled Lebanon after the end of the civil war spent state funds without budgetary oversight and accountability.
While Kataeb MP Sami Gemayel reported that he and LF MP George Adwan will be presenting a joint electoral proposal on Monday, Adwan told
Al Akhbar Daily that the proposition of his draft law will be postponed.
Adwan said that his proposal will be a “surprise”, stressing that it will be approved by all parties.
An-Nahar Newspaper reported on Thursday that Speaker Nabih Berri was disturbed once he learned how the Lebanese troops were ambushed in Arsal.
Berri expressed regret that some parties are not supporting the Lebanese Army, stressing that the LAF is "a red line."
Berri praised former PM Saad Hariri’s position regarding the Arsal issue; however, he considered it as incompatible with the Future’s bloc statements, especially that some of the bloc’s MPs are supporting the gunmen in Arsal and are insisting that the suspect Khaled Hamid is “a hero, a martyr and a victim.”