Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Monday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Al-Akhbar: A Jumblatti road map to rescue Syria
MP Walid Jumblatt drew Syrian President Bashar Assad a road map to help Syria overcome its crisis, starting from "holding those responsible accountable for crimes against the Syrian people which began in Daraa.” Head of the National Struggle Front, MP Walid Jumblatt, picked Dahr al-Ahmar, a town in east Lebanon’s district of Rashaya, to send out his message to both the Syrian leadership and the Syrian people. Jumblatt began his speech, during a celebration at Arfan School, by saluting the "martyrs of the Islamic resistance and Lebanon's martyrs who fell in defense of Lebanon" before moving to the "beautiful Mount Hermon that remained steadfast" to "the Hauran Plain, scene of the launch of the 1925 revolution,” saying Hauran and Syria are “wounded today.” Jumblatt announced a “reform plan” that includes punishing all those responsible for crimes against the Syrian people, releasing all political prisoners and halting the firing on protesters. He also called for condemning all armed attacks targeting public facilities, institutions and the Syrian Army, as well as rhetoric or any act of sectarian provocation.
In turn, head of the Change and Reform bloc, Gen. Michel Aoun, congratulated the Lebanese on the fifth anniversary of the victory achieved by the resistance against Israel [July-August 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel]. Aoun expressed his belief that "Lebanon's future is closely linked to the eternalness of the resistance and the strength of the opposition against Israeli policy, because Israel, which is deployed at the Lebanese border, is an aggressive country that only seeks control and expansion." Meanwhile, Loyalty to the Resistance MP Nawaf Mousawi reiterated Hezbollah’s "commitment to the resistance."
Ad-Diyar: Berri: We reject restricting dialogue to resistance weapons Hezbollah: those who refuse dialogue reflect an authoritarian trend Jumblatt: No value to rejectionist systems
As the country goes on holiday until Aug. 1, all eyes are turned to a speech to be delivered by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Tuesday to celebrate the victory of the July war and a few days before a 30-day deadline to arrest the suspects in the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri expires. Aug. 1 is also a day that will witness a significant speech by President Michel Suleiman on the occasion of Army Day. Meanwhile, political rhetoric continued between March 8 and March 14 forces on the national dialogue, public appointments and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Jumblatt has also made remarks about Syria, the second in as many days, describing what is going on there as a "revolution." He drew a road map to help Syria overcome its crisis. “Only free peoples can liberate oppressed peoples. The theory of rejectionist systems has no value,” Jumblatt said from Rashaya.
Gen. Michel Aoun hit back at Jumblatt on without naming him, saying: “We cannot continue as a nation without the resistance force and without support for the resistance.” Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri stressed the need for national dialogue. “We are ready to discuss ways to implement decisions taken during previous [all-party] talks … and discuss a defense strategy,” Berri told Ad-Diyar, adding that he rejected restricting dialogue to the “so-called Hezbollah arms.” In turn, [Hezbollah MP] Nawaf Moussawi said “those who reject dialogue in fact reflects an authoritarian trend who who not believe in pluralism. This is why they sees no point in dialogue.”
Al-Mustaqbal: March 14 affirms [Hezbollah] weapons illegal since they were turned against fellow citizens, not Israel Hezbollah: Hariri [murder] suspects sacred icons
The coup government will be absent until the beginning of the month of Ramadan, but those who formed the Cabinet and its leaders continue with their "work" and rules as usual and even more. The latest of this performance came Sunday from Hezbollah MP Nawaf Moussawi who spoke about the STL and the arrest warrants. “We will not accept an international intrigue called the International Tribunal to turn martyrs and Mujahideen into criminals and murderers,” Moussawi said Sunday. “We will maintain their reputation with all our strength.” Meanwhile, Future bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat said national dialogue must tackle Hezbollah's arms “which has become illegal since it was used on May 7 … and is threatening internal security after the purpose of its use changed from fighting the Israeli enemy to fellow citizens.”
In turn, MP Walid Jumblatt, said dialogue was “essential for a defense strategy to strengthen the resistance." He also urged the Lebanese government at both the security and political levels to find the whereabouts of Shibli al-Aisaimy, warning: “We will not stay quiet about his disappearance.”
An-Nahar: Hariri returns to Beirut in early Ramadan Berri does not mind discussing decisions taken during previous [all-party] talks
An-Nahar has learned from sources close to Hariri that the former prime minister will return to Lebanon early in August during the first days of Ramadan to attend a series of Iftar dinners at BIEL instead of Qoreitem. The sources said Hariri would have successive stances during the Iftar dinners and said his turn was part of the opposition campaign against the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Meanwhile, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour told An-Nahar that Jumblatt’s call for dialogue “stems from his awareness of the size of the internal and external threats." “Anyhow, there is at least one positive sign from Nasrallah’s and Hariri’s remarks – that they both stress the need for dialogue and we must start from here to find a loophole to break the existing boycott in the country."
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