Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Friday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
An-Nahar Government faces fears of becoming paralyzed Hariri hopes Syrians win the ‘prize’
The storm of political bickering during Cabinet’s last meeting subsided in preparation for another test as big question marks were raised over the ability of the government to address the many difficult issues facing it. The domestic scene was interrupted Thursday by news of the killing of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, a development that is likely to speed up efforts by the Lebanese government to try to clarify information about the fate of Imam Musa Sadr and his two companions. Sadr went missing while on an official visit to Libya in 1978.
An-Nahar has learned that a delegation headed by the director general of the Foreign Ministry Haitham Joumaa will travel to Libya Sunday for talks with a number of political and security officials in the National Transitional Council to get updated on the outcome of the latest investigation carried out by the NTC in Sadr’s disappearance. The visit will precede a similar trip by Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour. While Speaker Nabih Berri issued a terse statement in response to Gadhafi’s slaying, saying that “God does not forget,” former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the “Syrian people, like any other Arab people, deserve to win the prize of freedom and democracy after the decades-long episodes of repression."
As-Safir Private sector launches ‘rich vs. poor alliance’
Although Gadhafi’s demise was number one story worldwide, this development did not divert attention from the political distress facing the government at a time when the winds of foreign powers are blowing toward Lebanon – the latest of which is a report by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Resolution 1559, which contains aggressive content regarding Lebanon and the resistance while ignoring ongoing Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
Perhaps the gloomy picture of Cabinet’s meetings, particularly the last one, raises a pressing question about how the Mikati government – just 100 days after it was launched – was divided into a number of political zones. One example of this is the growing clash between Aounis and Jumblattis and the emergence of fears that this clash is perhaps the beginning of a major fight or a countdown to the end of the current government. This negative picture coincided with the “BIEL demonstration” where businesses representing the private sector announced a kind of the “rich vs. poor alliance.”
In parallel, Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi announced commitment to taxes contained in the draft state budget and hinted that any tax abolition amendment in the budget would be met by the elimination of subsidies for any social or economic project! "
Ad-Diyar Fatah Islam activity in Ain al-Hilweh
The Progressive Socialist Party is now convinced that the government is no longer governed by centrist forces, but by March 8 forces. MP Walid Jumblatt agreed to join the majority coalition after he was given assurances that the Mikati government would adopt a “centrist” position. It later turned out that Mikati and President Michel Sleiman were not even capable of upholding a “centrist” mode. This is why Jumblatt decided to fight the March 8’s attempts at dominance. PSP circles considered the newly-appointed president for the Lebanese University as just another sign of March 8’s control. Jumblatt has also decided to face up to Gen. Michel Aoun who is also trying to control the capabilities of the government.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh saw tensions Thursday over the distribution of leaflets by Ansar al-Islam. Members of Fatah al-Islam were found out to be behind the action. Tension quickly prevailed in Ain al-Hilweh after Fatah al-Islam militants teamed up, preparing themselves for action and setting up barricades.
Al-Joumhouria STL launches in absentia trials as March 8 reaffirms ‘impossibility’ of funding
Two days after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed hope that Gadhafi would be arrested or killed, her wish came true, as the Libyan leader was captured and killed in his hometown of Sirte.
Meanwhile, political officials were preoccupied with assessing the climate that prevailed during Cabinet’s latest meeting, which saw a dispute between Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi and Energy Minister Jibran Bassil. As for the issue of funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a senior March 8 source told Al-Joumhouria simply: “Funding is impossible.”
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