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.
- March
14 forces to boycott parliament’s subcommittee sessions
An-Nahar
newspaper said on Monday that no positive results were reached regarding the
electoral file adding that the Parliament’s subcommittee will resume its
meetings on Tuesday to discuss the hybrid law.
In
this context, March 14 sources told
An-Nahar newspaper that their
representatives will boycott the sessions if factions in the upcoming session
fail to reach an agreement stressing that “Hezbollah and other March 8 forces
are not facilitating the process of reaching a consensual law”.
The
sources added that March 14 forces will call on House Speaker Nabih Berri to
discuss this issue during a General Authority session at the 1st of
May.
March
14 sources mentioned that these sources are working to separate between
reaching an electoral law and the formation of the cabinet.
Lebanese
Forces Chief Samir Geagea called on Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam to
cooperate with President Michel Sleiman to form a cabinet that meets the needs
of all Lebanese people.
Geagea
told
Al-Akhbar newspaper that he fears that pressures exerted on PM-Designate
Salam lead to missing the chance of forming a coherent homogeneous cabinet and
reiterated his support to MP Salam.
As for the electoral law, Geagea
said that “it is impossible to participate in the sessions of the subcommittee
if other political factions do not give a clear stance regarding a new law”.
Regarding the situation in Hermel,
Geagea said that the caretaker cabinet should bear its responsibilities to
protect the citizens in Hermel and other bordering towns adding that it should
ask from Hezbollah to withdraw its members from the Syrian territories.
Geagea mentioned that the cabinet
should also give clear orders regarding the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces
on the borders stressing that these forces should cooperate with the UNIFIL to implement resolution 1701.
Al-Akhbar
newspaper said on Monday that the relation between Hezbollah and Prime Minister-Designate
Tammam Salam is not good so far, pointing out that the latter is waiting for a
sign, probably from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to express his openness to Hezbollah.
The
newspaper added that the Head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt
reproached PM-Designate Salam and called on him to address political factions
and hold negotiations with them in order to form a homogeneous cabinet.
Al-Akhbar
newspaper added that Hezbollah sources expressed their openness to PM-Designate
Salam stressing that the party managed indirect talks with the latter.
Sources
told
Al-Joumhouria newspaper that this week will be crucial regarding the
formation of the cabinet pointing out that Prime Minister-Designate Tammam
Salam held talks in the past few days with various political factions in order to
meet their representatives throughout this week.
In
this regard,
Al-Joumhouria said that PM-Designate Salam will be meeting this
week with the political adviser of Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hajj Hussein
Khalil as well as representatives of other political parties.
The
newspaper added that MP Salam is discussing the formation of the cabinet with
these parties since they all agreed upon a cabinet made up of 24 ministers.
Caretaker Youth and Sports'
Minister Faysal Karami said that holding the upcoming parliamentary elections
in such circumstances is impossible unless an agreement that calls for
appointing deputies instead of electing them was reached.
In this regard, Karami told
As-Safir newspaper that reaching
a new electoral law should go along with imposing security measures in various
Lebanese regions.
As for the nomination of MP Tammam Salam as
Prime Minister-Designate, Minister Karami said that this is Lebanon’s chance to
form a homogeneous cabinet.
“Calls for the formation of a technocratic cabinet are implicitly aiming at
annulling the Taif agreement,” Karami concluded.