Lebanon Press
Headlines
Annahar
- Aoun launches early warning over quorum of
presidential elections session. Says 2/3 quorum is necessary "unless someone
is looking for a bloody fight"; supports "keeping Hezbolah's weapons so long as
the state is unable to protect Lebanon".
- Hariri meets Mubarak. Says Siniora is
legitimate, and should therefore participate in the upcoming Riyadh Summit; affirms that
"we are negotiating with speaker Berri over the issue of the government 'only',
because the tribunal is not for barter"; expresses willingness "to look into
some formulas for the government or some amendments to the tribunal"; says
"unveiling Fatah al-Islam network is unlikely to effect negotiations"; vows to
continue meetings with speaker Berri "day and night if necessary" to find a
solution to Lebanon's crisis".
- EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana meets Assad.
Describes talks as "good and frank"; asks Syria to help implement UN resolution
1701; sees a chance in making Syria part of the negotiations taking place in the region.
For his part, Syria's FM Waleed Moallem affirmed that Syria "doesn't
at all reject the principle of Hariri's murder tribunal."
- Link found between unveiling Fatah al-Islam terror
network and the visit by UN chief investigator Serge Brammertz to Saudi Arabia.
Quoting security source, Annahar said a video tape of the confessions made by the
detainees was handed over to Brammetz who, upon receipt of the tape, headed to Saudi
Arabia to verify the authenticity of some Saudi identity papers found with the culprits.
Returning to Beirut after verifying that the said papers were falsified to mislead the
investigation into believing that Al-Qaeda was behind the attacks, Brammertz met with
State Prosecutor Said Mirza who, right after the meeting, issued the nececassay warrants
of arrest. Sources close to investigation also revealed that members of the network
planned to rob banks and Forex firms to avoid leaving traces that could lead to the
operations they executed or the ones they were planning to implement.
- Army intensifies presence around Nahr Al Bared
Palestinian camp. Home to Fatah al-Islam and its leader Shaker Absi, Nahr Al
Bared camp in northern Lebanon was surrounded Wednesday by Lebanese army checkpoints that
were seen checking identity papers on the camp's outskirts and its three entry point.
- Syria denies links to Fatah al-Islam.
Syrian Minister of Interior Bassam Abdul Majid denied Wednesday the accusations made by
Lebanon's Minister of Interior Hassan Sabaa on his county's involvement with Fatah
Al-Islam. He said Fatah al-Islam is one of Al-Qaeda's organizations that was uncovered in
2002. He said members of the group were arrested along with its leader Shaker Absi, a
Palestinian born in Ariha in 1955. Imprisoned for three years, Absi was released upon the
completion of his prison term, but was later spotted training Al-Qaeda operatives, Abdul
Majid added. A warrant of arrest was consequently issued against him on January 28, 2007,
but he disappeared and is still at large, he said. Concluding, Abdul Majid
said Sabba's "fabricated" accusations fall in the framework of an overall
foreign plan targeting Lebanon's stability.
- Isreal's acceptance of an amended version of the
Saudi-initiated Arab peace plan raises Western interest in Riyadh Summit. US is
paying special attention to what might come out from the upcoming Summit on the
possibility of resuming Arab-Israeli peace talks. By Khalil Fleihan.
- Final European warning to Syria before the crucial
decisions. Solana's visit to Damascus similar to the one paid by Moratinos
before UNSC resolution 1559 was passed. By Hiam Qosseifi.
- March 14 Forces call for ending sit-in, invite
Hezbollah to open a new page, welcome the Saudi initiative and Berri-Hariri meetings.
The group also viewd that unveiling the executors of the Ain Alaq bombings constitutes a
full fledged indictment of the Syrian regime, and an additional proof of Syria's
involmenent in the string of crimes that hit the Leaders of Lebanon's independence
movement.
- Geagea : Christians' neutrality is a prescription
for their death; opposition in a dilemma it does not know how to rid itself of.
- PLO representative in Lebanon Ahamd Zaki says Fatah
al-Islam is outside the Palestinian legitimacy, describes it as "a strange
phenomena."
Assafir
- Majority leader meets Mubarak, says other side
responding, vows to look into amending tribunal, conveys Egypt's support for the tribunal
and compromise.
- Berri-Hariri IV: Progress or 'time game'.
Both leader are still holding to the opinion that a serious chance for reaching
compromise before summit is still available. However, Berri warns that should this fail,
things will become much harder later, especially that as Lebanon is approaching the
presidential elections, things will bypass the boundaries of Lebanese-Lebanese consensus,
and will subsequently become subject to regional and international intervention.
- Aoun warns against "bloody interpretations' of
the parliamentary session set for electing the new president; says "we are
the stronger among the Christians"; describes March 14 as "sons of
bastards", and not sons of freedom and independence because "they grew
politically under the Syrian occupation"; asks "where was the government
when the Ain Alaq crime occurred"; affirms that the weapons of the resistance remain
necessary until a state able to protect Lebanon is born.
- Fatah al-Islam denies detainees are members of its
group. Report by Omar Ibrahim
- PLO representative in Lebanon Ahamad Zaki says Fatah
al-Islam is a phenomena we lack the ability to deal with.
- Geagae lashes at Hezbollah, says the group is using
the legitimacy given to it in diecrtions not desired by the Lebanese, says resistance
should be the job of the state.
Al-Mustaqbal
- Solana asks Assad to prevent arms smuggling to
Lebanon. Damascus absolves itself of Fatah al-Islam and defends it denial.
- Aoun calls for keeping Hezbollah's weapons.
Rafsanjani welcomes Aoun to the resistance.
- March 14 affirms authorizing Future Bloc leader Saad
Hariri to negotiate on its behalf. Welcomes unveiling the Ain Alaq network.
- Assad surrounded by the race between the tribunal
and the border clause in 1701. By Nasir Al Asaad.
Ad-Diyar
- Addiyar in Nahr Al Bared camp: Fatah Al-Islam hints
at military reprisal. Rifi: The cell is linked to Absi, and the file is on its
way to the court. Syrian interior Minster surprised at Sabaa' accusations, says Absi is
under prosecution in Syria.
- Solana: Damascus should make efforts to reinstate
peace in Lebanon.
- March 14: Accepting the blocking third is equal to
handing Lebanon over to strangers.
Al-Balad
- From Syria to Helweh to Al Bared: The story of Fatah
al-Islam.
- Aoun speaks of "neck wreaking" if March 14
tampers with the presidential elections.
- Hariri: Dialogue with Berri made progress.
- Aoun calls on Siniora to stop violating
constitution, says "we represent the stonger viewpoint" in the Christian
community.
- Geagea: Syrians are not accepting their withdrawal,
and the problem with Hezbollah is its project.
Al-Akhbar
- Berri: No progress made over the government issue.
- Halh of Brammetz report was distributed.
Debate over Ain Alaq investigations and about hiding information on the involvement of
Saudi nationals. Brammertz names 10 non-cooperative countries: USA,
Britain, France, Brazil, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Qatar, Iraq and Israel.
- Ain Alaq Network: Palestinian weapons reviving
Syrian role? by Nicholas Nassif.
- Redirection from 'Sayiddat al Najat' to Ain Alaq.
By Jean Aziz
- Aoun: We will break the neck of any one who tries to
break the Christian will.
- Free Patriotic Movement spreading southward.
By Amal Khalil.
Al-Hayat
- Solana offers Syria a package of
incentives. Assad did not speak of on any changes in Syria's stance toward Lebanon.
- Ba Ki-moon report on 1701:
Syrian-Lebanese borders a problem needing an independent military evaluation by the
Security Council.
Al-Siyassa
- Warning against Syrian chaos in Lebanon in response
to Fatah al-Islam issue.
- Majority asks Hezbollah to stop sit-in as a gesture
of good will
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