Press round-up for Tuesday, February 9th from the morning edition of Lebanon’s
An-Nahar, Al-Akhbar, As-Safir, and
Ad-Diyar newspapers.
Sleiman calls for preemptive international action to confront the Israeli threats; Hariri emphasizes [the ongoing] communication with al-Assad.
Political tension coincides with the Maronite celebrations in Beirut and Aleppo.
Sfeir: The [National] Pact has transformed Lebanon, the country of majorities, into a civilization.
Murr starts his meetings today in Washington.
The disaster of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash has started to take another dimension as the third week following the disaster has just started. Several members of the victims’ families staged a protest yesterday in light of the government’s statements and clarifications regarding the search and rescue operations.
Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. today at the Saint George Maronite Cathedral in downtown Beirut on the occasion of the 1600th anniversary of Saint Maron’s death. The mass will be celebrated by Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and attended by key state figures.
On this occasion, Patriarch Sfeir sent out a message of extraordinary importance, as he explained the basic principles of the Maronite creed, stressing that “Lebanon is the center of gravity for securing the Maronites’ unity and cohesion.”
General Michel Aoun said that his celebrating this [religious] commemoration in Syria initiates a new course of action for promoting the Christians’ true Levantine heritage. Aoun responded to “those wishing for the Christians’ unity on Saint Maron’s Day”, saying that “this is cheap talk.”
MP Sleiman Franjieh criticized Patriarch Sfeir, saying, “We would have wished for him to head the celebrations here … but His Beatitude has his own calculations, which we cannot possibly understand.”
LF Executive Committee leader Samir Geagea said that “the brothers who went to [the place where Saint Maron lived and died in the Syrian village of] Brad did not do so to celebrate Saint Maron’s anniversary, but rather to exploit him, because they are in a political relation, which is a source of shame for them, and they want a Maronite cover for their political alliance.”
Spanish King Juan Carlos I arrived in Lebanon yesterday on a two-day visit. President Michel Sleiman hosted dinner in his honor at the Baabda Presidential Palace in the presence of Speaker Berri and PM Hariri.
PM Hariri revealed yesterday that his last two contacts with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad focused on the Israeli threats to Lebanon and Syria. Hariri said that he discussed this issue with other Arab leaders as well.
The Council of Ministers will convene twice this week. The first session, which will be held Wednesday at the Grand Serail, will involve an ordinary agenda, whereas the second one, which will be held on Thursday, will follow up on the draft municipal elections law in order to settle the issue.
Defense Minister Elias al-Murr arrived Sunday evening in Washington. Murr, who is heading a military delegation, will take part in the periodical talks of the US-Lebanese military commission and will meet with several US officials.
The race of bodies and gold.
Do the Lebanese officials know that the owner company of the Ocean Alert vessel, which is taking part in the search for the crashed plane, has already worked in the Lebanese territorial waters prospecting for gold, which is believed to have sunken in 1957?
Do the Lebanese know that the Odyssey Explorer vessel was involved in “piracy operations in Lebanese waters” and that the two ships were grounded in Spain in 2007 on suspicion of damaging Spain’s “heritage”?
The orange-colored “black box” has been shipped to France at 5 a.m. yesterday aboard a private plane provided by PM Saad Hariri. The plane also carried members of the investigation committee.
The victims’ families staged their first protest yesterday 15 days after the tragedy. They mainly protested against “the slow recovery of the bodies” and called for allowing civilian divers to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Marine Commando units.
As-Safir interviews Jumblatt: On the road to Damascus.
[Jumblatt says:] “I did not call for the invasion of Syria … I hope my clarification erases the offense to the Syrian people.”
[Jumblatt says:] “Hariri’s visit should be used to build a confidence relation and renew the public’s ties to Arabism and Palestine.”
As-Safir had an interview “of historical importance” with MP Walid Jumblatt, who is on the road to Damascus. Jumblatt has indeed gone all the way and all that remains to be settled are technical matters that relate to how to invite him [to Syria].
During the interview, Jumblatt criticized himself, the March 14 coalition and the whole political class, which has taken advantage of the “Syria custody” era. Jumblatt said, “Yes, we have brought the Syrians into Lebanese meanders.”
Jumblatt sought to explain his statements to the Washington Post in 2006, saying, “I have never called for the invasion of Syria by the US army. Such a demand would be illogical and insane.”
Jumblatt rejected the constant instigation against Syria, which is led by some March 14 forces, saying, “I see no need for it, especially since the historical settlement has already started with PM Hariri’s visit to Damascus.”
Jumblatt said that it is absolutely necessary to transform this settlement at a subsequent stage into security relations, which would protect Lebanon’s security against any Israeli or non-Israeli aggression targeted against Syria. This settlement should also lead to [new] political relations.
Jumblatt asserted that he will take part in the February 14 commemoration and [that] the shape and nature of his participation will be defined in due time. “However, some are unfortunately trying to shun us from the commemoration and are building an atmosphere that is hostile to us without any pretext whatsoever.”
Jumblatt stressed that he will meet with Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah soon.
The Maronites on two fronts: The opposition celebrates in Syria, and the majority gathers in Beirut.
The built-up tension between Hariri and Jumblatt explodes in Jal al-Bahr.
The complete secrets of the black box and the decoding process; why did the Americans search in a remote location?
Hariri [stresses] continuous communication with al-Assad [and says] the February 14 commemoration is for everyone.
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir is seeking through his attendance and oversight of the 1600th memorial of Mar Maroun in Beirut to challenge an effort to change or transplant the main and natural location of the celebrations on this Maronite holiday.
Sources reported the Sfeir was clearly resentful of the effort to portray the Christians as divided and indicated he believes what is happening in Barad to be an attack against the Maronite patriarchy.
The sources added that this effort will not succeed, because the patriarch knows what his parish wants and that Sfeir could give an important address at the mass of Mar Maroun.
The port of Jal al-Bahr appears to be the point of a concealed dispute between the Progressive Socialist Party and the Future Movement after several fishermen, most of them Druze, confronted Future MPs. A whole hubbub began and insults were hurled about.
Sources reported that the dispute happened between elements from the PSP, Future bloc MPs and several officials in Beirut who were preparing to stop the Ministry of Public Works from building a fishermen’s port in Ain al-Mreisseh.
Several sources corroborated each other’s information, saying that MP Walid Jumblatt’s trip to Damascus has become a sure thing and will happen before February 14.
PM Saad Hariri said about a clarification that came out in one newspaper about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s recent remarks that they were “comments [made] by Syria sources pertaining to this statement,” adding, “In my opinion, this clarification is sufficient.”