Press round-up for Saturday, July 31st from the morning edition of Lebanon’s
An-Nahar,
Al-Akhbar,
As-Safir, and
Ad-Diyar newspapers.
Note: There is no press round-up on Sundays
Washington has taken an interest in “Lebanon’s sovereignty”, Tehran in the “alliance with Syria” and Hezbollah in the “[STL] indictment.”
The Arab cover in Baabda: Against violence and in favor of referring to institutions.
Abdullah visits Hariri; Assad holds a closed meeting with Berri; Hamad sees “clouds gathering.”
The final statement issued following the Baabda summit between President Michel Sleiman, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed “the need to continue supporting the Doha Agreement and implementing the Taif Accord.”
The statement emphasized the need to “continue the work of the national dialogue committee, commit to steering away from violence, give precedence to Lebanon’s higher interest and have recourse to laws, constitutional institutions and the national unity government in order to settle disputes.”
According to sources, King Abdullah said that “efforts are being made to settle the issue pertaining to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL); however, this is no easy feat since the matter is now in the hands of the international community.”
March 8 parliamentary sources quoted President Assad as saying that King Abdullah “pledged to postpone the promulgation of the indictment and slow down the STL’s operation, and that he will try to convince Washington to do so despite the doubts regarding the success of this initiative.”
A former cabinet member told An-Nahar that “the main achievement of the tripartite summit is the efforts to bring about appeasement; as for the STL, no one can change its course of action.”
Assad, who held a closed meeting with Sleiman and another one with Speaker Berri, “stressed the need to “calm things down in Lebanon and institutionalize Lebanese-Syrian relations.” Assad described the summit meeting as excellent.
Following the Baabda summit, King Abdullah accompanied Prime Minister Saad Hariri to the latter’s downtown Beirut residence where he was treated to a massive welcome. Hariri described the summit afterwards as “genuinely fruitful.”
Following the departure of the Saudi king and the Syrian president from Beirut, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani arrived in the country on a three-day official visit. He was welcomed [at the airport] by President Sleiman and other key state officials.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea did not take part in the dinner hosted by President Sleiman in honor of the Qatari emir. In contrast, former President Amin Gemayel was present at the dinner, knowing that the Kataeb had boycotted the lunch hosted earlier that day in honor of the Saudi king and the Syrian president because Gemayel had not been invited to it.
Speaking in Hezbollah’s name, MP Hassan Fadlallah said that “the main – if not the only – axis (of the summit) was the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. We, in Hezbollah, await the practical results of this summit and we do not need reassurances from anyone.”
Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghadanfar Rukon Abadi, who took part in the Baabda ceremonies, described [Iran’s] alliance with Syria as a “strategic” one.
US Department of State Spokesperson Philip Crowley said that his government hoped the tripartite summit in Beirut would reassert “commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty,” especially in these “worrying” times.
Assad to Abdullah in Damascus: Ending the STL because it ruined Lebanon.
Negotiations to cancel the indictment.
Abdullah is concerned for the government; Assad wants to protect the Resistance; Nasrallah is preparing for a major surprise.
According to sources informed of the Damascus summit, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is inclined to end the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) because it has become a heavy political burden weighing down Lebanon and the stability in the country.
Assad supported Hezbollah’s position, telling the Saudi king: “The Resistance in Lebanon will not accept the STL. And if there is insistence of keeping it, then the Resistance will confront it. We regard the Resistance as a line not to be crossed.”
The content substance of these discussions was conveyed by the Saudi king’s adviser to Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Two subsequent meetings were then held, bearing witness to the STL stalemate: The first was a closed meeting between King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz and PM Hariri, whereas the second was between Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem and the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc.
A decision has been made to send a Hezbollah envoy to Damascus in the next few hours to meet with the Syrian president who will brief him on the results of the Damascus and Beirut summits, as well as on the outlook of the coming period.
A source told Al-Akhbar that Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will not introduce any modifications to the schedule of his special appearance (set for Tuesday) regarding the international investigation [into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination]. Nasrallah will be holding a press conference at the end of the week during which he will evoke a wealth of details.
The Syrian president to Berri: Preserving Lebanon’s unity, concord and stability in the face of the Israeli projects.
The Abdullah-Assad summit in Beirut: Removing the “accusation” prevents strife.
The Doha Accord emir throws in his efforts along with the “Beirut trio”… starting with the South.
The contacts between the Saudis and Syrians in Damascus reportedly delved into the details of the current ambiguities in Lebanon about the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the indictment.
According to informed sources, the STL issue was not discussed during the extended meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz, but rather in bilateral relations that went on until late into the night.
According to sources, the bilateral talks led to a solution, whereby Prince Abdel Aziz bin Abdullah was dispatched by King Abdullah to Beirut on a quick visit during which he met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
The two men discussed some means of resolving the crisis. A few of these proposed solutions were discussed with Speaker Berri and the Hezbollah leadership prior to the arrival of the Saudi king and the Syrian president.
As-Safir has learned that the proposed solution consisted of postponing the promulgation of the indictment while looking for a solution to the issue in the meantime. This formula was rejected by Hezbollah.
PM Saad Hariri informed the Council of Ministers Wednesday evening that following his participation in Army Day festivities, he would be travelling to Sardinia on a family vacation for ten days, i.e. until mid-August.
An Arab day par excellence in Lebanon asserts stability and draws the outline to the solution.
Saudi Arabia and Syria provide guarantees to the solution; Lebanese parties are informed of the settlement.
The Qatari emir arrives in Beirut [last] night; Sleiman hosts an official dinner in his honor in Baabda.
Conflicting information circulated about a potential solution to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) crisis. Some sources said that the issue would be postponed and set aside to be discussed later on when things calmed down. Others, in contrast, said that the broad outline of the solution had been drafted, whereby the indictment no longer exists and belongs to the past.
This is proven by MP Okab Sakr’s unintentional allusion to a major settlement with Hezbollah’s approval before retracting his words later on.
According to sources, Speaker Berri stressed during his closed meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the importance and efficiency of the Syrian-Saudi equation in sponsoring all that may ameliorate the situation in Lebanon.
MP Nawwaf Moussawi said that President Assad and King Abdullah talked about an agreement [on all these matters] during the Damascus summit. However Hezbollah has yet to be briefed on the substance of this agreement.