Press Digest for Thursday April 11, 2013

      
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.

• Geagea warns against dire repercussions due to Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria         

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea tackled Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian crisis, calling on all the Lebanese parties “to urge Hezbollah not to send insurgents to Syria” since its involvement entails catastrophic repercussions in Lebanon.        

In this context, Geagea told an-Nahar Daily that “the Shi'ite community should take well-devised stances” to spare the country a bloody conflict.      
  

• Adnan Mansour: letters exchanged between Lebanon and Syria “are a routine process”          

When asked about the letter that was sent by the Foreign Ministry to the Syrian embassy upon the directives of President Michel Sleiman, Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour stressed that the letters exchanged between Lebanon and Syria “are part of a routine process”, and refused to further elaborate.       

Mansour told al-Joumhouria Newspaper that letters tackling political, economic and security issues “are exchanged between both countries on a daily basis”, pointing out that there are joint military committees working since 1991 as well as many contacts held between the embassies.         

• PM-Designate Salam: “some parties’ demands cannot be met”        

Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam said that he would submit his proposal over the government to the President Michel Sleiman, adding that both officials will endeavor to reach common grounds.          

In a question directed at Salam about the parties' conflicting demands, he told as-Safir Daily that “some demands cannot be met” since the main task of the government is to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections on their due date, steering clear of political discrepancies.          

“If they want to extend the mandate of the parliament let them form a cabinet for this task,” Salam said.        

• New agreements between al-Jaafar clan and Arsal residents        

Well-informed sources told al-Joumhouria Daily that Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel has agreed yesterday with members from the Al-Jaafar clan upon a new series of settlements between the clan and Arsal residents to end the wave of tit-for-tat abductions.          

Same sources reported that a positive step will be taken today by releasing Arsal members kidnapped earlier by the al-Jaafar clan, noting that the release of hostages will pave the way for a new kind of relations between members from  Arsal and the al-Jaafar clan.