National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblatt said that
the day the Orthodox Gathering Law was approved marks a sad day in the history of Lebanon “since
it brings back the era of isolation in Lebanon.”
Jumblatt told
An-Nahar Daily on Wednesday: "Instead of
agreeing on a law that would abolish political sectarianism, electing a Senate
on a sectarian basis and a non-sectarian Parliament, the exact opposite happened."
Jumblatt reiterated that the approval of the Orthodox
Gathering Law by the joint committee leads the country to the path of the "unknown", pointing
out that the Taef agreement is under threat.”
- A long phone conversation
between Hariri and Geagea
Al-Joumhouria Daily reported Wednesday that former Prime
Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces Chief Samir Geagea held a long phone conversation
on Tuesday night whereby they discussed an array of issues starting from Hariri’s
speech at BIEL all the way to the Orthodox Gathering’s electoral law approved
by the joint parliamentary committee. They agreed to carry on efforts to find a
new electoral law that would guarantee national consensus and just
representation.
Al-Joumhouria Daily reported on Wednesday that an American
report will be issued this week, warning that the alleged “capacity” of
Hezbollah to wage great wars may be overrated. The report is also due to
stress that the chances of the party’s survival should the regime of Syrian
President Bashar Assad fall might decrease substantially “given the deadly
strategic mistakes it is committing through its involvement in the Syrian
crisis.”
A U.S. source told the Daily that the equation upon which
Iran, Hezbollah and Assad base their actions is placed on the fact that the U.S.
Administration is still ruling out direct involvement in the crisis or "even
providing military support to the Syrian opposition".
“The decision of the EU
which reiterated the ban to import weapons to Syria and arm the opposition is
practically consistent with the U.S. stance in this regard,” the source said.
The source considered that the upcoming phase may witness
the beginning of the "immunization and support of regions controlled by the
Syrian opposition," which would gradually mitigate the social, living and
health-related repercussions of the ongoing war on civilians, through projects
involving major powers.
Well-informed sources told
Al-Joumhouria Daily on Wednesday
that the indictment against former Minister Michel Samaha is expected to be
issued today or tomorrow morning at the latest, ruling out a decision by Military
Investigative Judge Riad Abou Ghaida to expand investigations.
The sources predicted that the indictment would be issued
according to the view of the State Commissioner to the Military
Court, Judge Saqr Saqr on the issue of weapons transfer and in contrast
to his view on the formation of an armed gang to carry out terrorist
acts.
The sources did not exclude the possibility of the issuance
of an indictment against Samaha and the head of the Syrian National Security Bureau
Major General Ali Mamlouk “despite the fact that pieces of evidence against the
latter are legally weaker that those against Samaha.” The sources pointed out however
the evidence may be sufficient to suspect Mamlouk "since the current stage of
investigation does not require conclusive evidence."
Former
Minister Michel Samaha, was arrested on Thursday 9th of August by the
Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch on suspicion of involvement
in a plot to carry out terrorist attacks in Lebanon in collaboration
with Syria.
He
was charged on Aug. 11 alongside Syrian National Security Bureau head
Ali Mamlouk and a Syrian army officer identified as Brig. Gen. Adnan
with plotting to assassinate political and religious figures in Lebanon
and carrying out terrorist attacks by the government’s deputy
commissioner at the Military Tribunal.
The
three men were accused of planning to incite sectarian clashes through
terrorist attacks in North Lebanon during the Eid using explosives that
Samaha allegedly transported to Lebanon and stored after taking
possession of them from Mamlouk and Adnan.