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.
The French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told
An-Nahar
newspaper that France’s stance on the funding of the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon (STL) was clear from the beginning, adding “the tribunal is
independent; it was established by the U.N. Security Council resolution 1757
approved under chapter 7”.
“In
virtue of this resolution, Lebanon must pay its share of the STL funding, that
is 65 million dollars per year, which constitute 49% of the court’s annual
budget”, he said.
Valero
added that PM Najib Mikati pledged to fund the STL at the U.N. General Assembly,
adding that France is making sure Lebanon respects all of its international
commitments.
On the
sanctions that may be imposed on Lebanon if it refrained from funding the
tribunal, Valero hoped that Lebanon will avoid them by fulfilling its promise.
Valero
stressed that the aids that may be provided to Lebanon in the framework of the
European partnership are still under discussion and have not been approved yet.
As-Safir
newspaper quoted sources from the State Shura Council as saying that the first
batch of people whose citizenships were revoked included 180 persons, most of
which were Palestinians who were accidently listed in the citizenship decree, as
a result of the negligence of the UNRWA files.
The sources added that following the reexamination of the
files, it turned out that these persons were Palestinian refugees registered at
the UNRWA, whose citizenship has been revoked because granting them a
citizenship contradicts with the constitution’s provisions, mainly its
introduction that refuses all forms of resettlement. As for the other batch of
people whose citizenship has been revoked, it turned out that they forged the
documents required to get a citizenship.
Labor
Minister Charbel Nahas told
Al-Akhbar that the mission of the ministerial
committee that was formed by the government to discuss the wage adjustment
issue and that is expected to convene on Saturday morning is to suspend the
cabinet’s former decision and go back to dialogue.
No committee
can replace the price index committee that has the prerogative to control wages.
Sources
close to
Al-Mustaqbal newspaper said that the military appeals court Judge
Alice Chaptini El Amm who accepted the appeal submitted by the retired General
Fayez Karam’s attorneys on the verdict released by the permanent military court
and decided to retry Karam and hold a new hearing on November 24th,
travelled for 15 days.
According to
the same sources, suspicions were raised over the possibility of Karam’s
release during her absence by the substitute judge, as Karam was rushed to the
hospital for medical complications.
The military
court had sentenced Karam to two years imprisonment and deprived him of his
civil rights for collaborating with Israel.
According to
Al-Liwaa
newspaper, late Rafik Hariri’s eldest son Bahaa Hariri surprised the
March 14 delegation that was having lunch at the former PM Saad Hariri’s
residence in KSA after extending condolences to the Saudi authorities for the
death of Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, by showing up and shaking hands with
everyone.
It is
noteworthy that March 14 figures haven’t seen Bahaa Hariri for years.