The Daily Star - Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 11, 2011

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Thursday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Al-Joumhouria: Electricity [issue] explodes crisis between Mikati, Aoun
International judicial delegation meets Murr, Hamadeh today
The electricity, political and judicial issues reflected the sharp divide between the Lebanese that is widening over stances with regards to the unrest in Syria.
On the judicial scene, a U.N. delegation along with officials from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will hold a meeting with former deputy Defense Minister Elias Murr at 10:30 a.m. at State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza’s office in Beirut to get updated with the investigation into the assassination attempt against him on June 12, 2005.
The delegation will also meet MP Marwan Hamadeh at 12:00 p.m. to brief him on the latest developments regarding the 2004 assassination attempt against his life.
Regarding the electricity issue, the country was electrified Wednesday when during a legislative session rival lawmakers traded harsh accusations with some casting doubt on the transparency of spending the amount [$1.2 billion] for Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s proposal for the construction of power plants which could produce some 700 megawatts.
While some local media outlets said Prime Minister Najib Mikati had asked the opposition to help him bring down the electricity proposal, Mikati’s office rushed to release a statement denying these reports.
The statement stressed that Mikati supported the bill “as long as it was put under control to ensure the success of the plan and solve the electricity crisis.”
Al-Mustaqbal: Murr, Hamadeh, Chidiac meet STL delegation at Justice Palace today
Parliament: [Aoun’s] son-in-law toppled
All eyes looked to Parliament Wednesday after eyes were turned to the unrest in Syria. The legislative session reflected the political disputes that were translated into harsh rhetoric after Hezbollah and FPM lawmakers began a flurry of accusations by raising up the issue of arms smuggling from Lebanon to Syria, claiming arms were headed into Lebanon’s neighbor, not the other way around.
What was striking at Parliament was the defeat of a proposal presented by MP Michel Aoun to give his son-in-law, Energy Minister Jibran Bassil, a sum of $1.772 billion only “for immediate implementation even before the funds are allocated.”
An-Nahar: Murr, Hamadeh, Chidiac to be briefed today
Assassination attempts against them linked to Hariri’s case
Thursday will witness an important event related to the assassination attempts that took place since the autumn of 2004.
The Justice Palace in Beirut will witness in the coming hours meetings regarding developments in the assassination attempts of journalist May Chidiac and former Cabinet ministers Elias Murr and Marwan Hamadeh.
Information made available to An-Nahar said Murr, Hamadeh, Chidiac had been called for separate meetings with State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza Thursday for talks related to the assassination attempts on their lives.
The three are expected to meet Mirza along with a joint U.N.-STL delegation that is likely to inform them of a link between their assassination and that of former statesman Rafik Hariri – in which case the Lebanese judiciary will take its hands off the dossier and attach it to Hariri’s assassination’s case, a matter that raises the possibility of a link between the four suspects indicted by the STL with the Hariri case.

As-Safir: Jumblatt after returning from Damascus: No fear over regime
“Political divide” widens electricity crisis
Bassil: Government is at stake
Parliament faced an “electric short” Wednesday as a result of “political friction,” which disappointed hopes and postponed a bill proposed by MP Michel Aoun to build power stations to provide 700 megawatts of electricity for another two weeks, which angered Aoun who launched a fierce attack on the opposition.
The impact of Parliament’s Wednesday session is expected to overshadow a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday at Baabda Palace to be followed by a presidential Iftar.
As-Safir has learned that Energy Minister Jibran Bassil will raise the electricity issue and will ask Cabinet to take a decisive stance backing [him]– either it will reflect cohesiveness as a majority or it will fail the first test before the people.
As-Safir also learned that a behind the scenes meeting was held late Wednesday at the Grand Serail between a number of Cabinet ministers and experts to discuss the electricity issue. However, Bassil did not attend the meeting.
Bassil told As-Safir that if Cabinet fails to get through the electricity bill, “it means that the government has fallen both morally and at the popular level.”
“There won’t be a government if the electricity bill is not endorsed,” Bassil warned.
Meanwhile, MP Walid Jumblatt told As-Safir in response to a question as to why members in his parliamentary bloc refrained from voting in favor of the electricity bill: “This is a very sensitive issue and should be suitably discussed in Cabinet because it relates to spending a large sum of money.”
“That does not mean there are any accusations against Gen. Michel Aoun,” Jumblatt added, stressing that his parliamentary bloc’ stance is “purely technical” and has nothing to do with the rivalry between the March 8 and March 14 camps.
Jumblatt also made a brief visit to Damascus Thursday and told As-Safir on his return that he “sensed the atmosphere in Syria is improving.”
He stressed that he has “no concerns over the fate of the Syrian regime.”