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.
MP Sami Gemayel said that the Kataeb party has presented many electoral law proposals, including the small districts draft law, the single district proposal
and the hybrid draft law based on the small districts and nine governorates formula,
noting that once the parliamentary subcommittee reaches a deadlock, the general
authority should convene in a session where all the electoral proposals will be subjected
to vote.
In a statement to
an-Nahar Daily, Gemayel added that the
elections would fail to be held, in case a new chance was given to reach an
agreement, stressing that his party wants the elections to take place on time.
He urged Speaker Nabih Berri to call for a parliament session where he must
launch the vote on all the electoral proposals.
In this context, MP Sami Gemayel stressed that the Kataeb
party is keen on ensuring a right Christian representation and national
partnership through a fair electoral law, refusing the adoption of the 1960
electoral law and the extension of the mandates of the Parliament, the
President or any other State position.
Commenting on the cabinet formation process, Gemayel pointed
out that he rejects the formation of a national unity government, “since the
last experience has proved its failure.”
“We call for either a rescue cabinet where all the parties will
be represented and assume their responsibilities during the current stage by
preserving Lebanon’s security and protecting the borders, or a neutral cabinet
supported by all the parties and capable of facing all the challenges,” he explained.
On the other hand, the MP noted that the latest events have shown that
there are no longer borders separating Lebanon from Syria, pointing out that “the
Shiite regions are cooperating with the Syrian regime, while the Sunni regions
are opening their doors for the Free Syrian Army.”
In this regard, Gemayel called for the deployment of
international forces at the borders with Syria.
An-Nahar daily quoted sources close to the meetings of Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov in
Beirut as saying that the latter called on Hezbollah leadership to withdraw its
forces from Syria, in order to prevent the Syrian crisis from expanding toward Lebanon.
The sources added that Bogdanov’s reports confirm that no
progress has been yet reached in the American-Russian talks over Syria.
Caretaker State
Minister Ali Qanso declared that all the governments which came after the Taef
Agreement are political ones, stressing the necessity of representing all the
political parties in the new cabinet.
Accordingly,
he called for the formation of a cabinet of 30 ministers, instead of 24.
In this
context, Qanso told
an-Nahar Newspaper that the Prime Minister-Designate Tammam
Salam is keeping the door open for discussions will all the Lebanese factions.
Sources from
the Future Movement told al-Hayat Daily that head of the Future bloc MP Fouad
Siniora asked the Russian envoy, deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov to
help Lebanon prove its right in restoring the 865 square kilometers in the sea,
which is a disputed area with Israel.
Siniora
explained that this region has been added to Israel’s exclusive economic zone
by a mistake committed when demarcating the maritime borders between Cyprus and
Israel.
For his part,
Bogdanov promised to follow up on the case.