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Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Wednesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Ad-Diyar: Tens of thousands to [march to] Maroun al-Ras Sunday and protest – by land and sea
A traffic jam of controversial issues accompanied by stepped up positions, beginning with the political clash between Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and March 14 – in addition to the sharp dispute over the Telecoms Ministry – to reactions to a recent statement by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in which he called for amendments to the Taif Accord, to the shaky security situation in the south after the attack on UNIFIL and the uncovering of attempts to unleash rockets on Israel from Lebanon, to the march to Maroun al-Ras Sunday which has prompted an Israeli alert, to developments on the northern border between Lebanon and Syria. All these heavyweight issues were taking place in a country where both its politics and security are exposed in the light of a killer political vacuum.
Patriarch Rai’s remarks stirred different viewpoints within the Maronite leadership with FPM leader Michel Aoun supporting amendments to Taif and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea opposing.
Meanwhile, eyes were shifted toward the south where Palestinian refugees were busy preparing for a mass protest Sunday with organizers suggesting 100,000 will participate from refugee camps in Beirut, Sidon and Tyre.
A meeting at Fatah commander Mounir Maqdah’s office in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp Tuesday focused on the mechanisms of the protest with emphasis on a peaceful march.
Ad-Diyar said tents will be erected during Sunday’s protest – by land and sea – to mark Naksa Day.
An-Nahar: A “summer cloud” passes between Sleiman and March 14
The internal, political storm Tuesday – triggered by the Telecoms Ministry dispute – looks like it has returned to its normal size away from political analysis.
President Michel Sleiman has met the head of the Future parliamentary bloc, ex-PM Fouad Siniora, as well as Future MP Ahmed Fatfat.
Sources close to Siniora said that the critical situation the region is going through requires everyone to ensure moderate positions are taken. Many of their views matched.
An-Nahar learned that as a result of talks between army chief Gen. Jean Kahwaji and the head of the Internal Security Forces Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi a protest planned in Tripoli in support for Rifi was cancelled.
The protesters – affected by the Arab revolution – were supposed to burn posters of Hezbollah chief Sayyed HassanNasrallah and of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.
An-Nahar also learned that caretaker Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud is not willing to take back his resignation if things remain the same and that Defense Minister Elias Murr will assume responsibilities as acting Interior Minister upon his return from a trip abroad over the coming weekend.
Amid the calm prevailing over the Telecoms Ministry, efforts were launched Tuesday to contain the controversy that broke out after Berri announced he would hold a legislative session June 8 under a caretaker government.
An-Nahar learned that Berri was no longer in a hurry to hold a meeting in the light of information that Sleiman has a solution to the issue of the renewal of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh’s mandate by means of a “roaming decree.”
Berri, in response to some March 14 officials who said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was on the legislative meeting’s agenda, said: “This talk is aimed at hindering [Parliament’s work]. An agenda is a plan and not a deal.”
As-Safir : June 5 protest: Border under control
While the issue of Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi’s violation of the Interior Minister’s orders remained the center of attention pending the position of the Justice Minister on the matter after President Sleiman demanded legal action against Rifi, eyes began turning to the south Lebanon border in light of the demonstration scheduled for June 5 to mark Naksa Day.
While Israel seemed tense and UNIFIL concerned, senior military sources told As-Safir that the Lebanese Army has “good control of the border” and will not allow anyone to tamper with security.
The sources stressed that the army will not allow a repeat of Nakba Day when Israeli troops fired at Palestinian protesters who marched to Maroun al-Ras at the border, killing 11 of them.
They pointed out that the army would take the appropriate measures that will ensure control of the situation, adding that protesters won’t be allowed to reach the barbed-wire fence, so as not to give Israel a chance to carry out senseless and indiscriminate killing again.
Meanwhile, Western sources in Paris told As-Safir that UNIFIL Force Commander Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta would soon travel to Israel to discuss Sunday’s protest which plans to reach the Fatima border.
Al-Mustaqbal: Geagea strongly criticizes campaign against Rifi
March 14 to Berri: Your home is made of glass
In response to Berri’s campaign against March 14 and his criticism of the Cedar Revolution, leading political and parliamentary figures summed up their position as follows: A person whose house is made of glass cannot throw stones at others.
It was interesting, in the course of the war over the Telecoms Ministry, what Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea raised: Has the issue to prosecute Rifi become a priority? Do they want to try Rifi because he has no overseas connections? Is it because his apparatus does not take orders from anybody outside the state? Can things not go well in the state unless Rifi stands trial?
Well-informed sources explained that President Michel Sleiman’s decision to refer Rifi to judicial authorities was a “logical solution” to foil attempts aimed at taking the dispute to the streets in the presence of a non-functional government. The sources said Sleiman’s move was constitutional.
Regarding Berri’s call for a parliamentary meeting, Al-Mustaqbal has learned that talks were underway to find an alternative to the legislative meeting and an alternative to the roaming decree to renew Salameh’s mandate.
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