Press round-up for Thursday, July 26th, from the morning edition of Lebanon’s An-Nahar, Al-Akhbar, As-Safir, and Ad-Diyar Newspapers.
· Opening Titles:
Al-Bared clashes grow more violent and Fatah al-Islam militants entrench themselves along with their families.
Political escalation precedes Kouchner’s return.
No withdrawal [of candidacies] in the Metn region and increasing Maronite pressures.
· Local News:
Sources revealed to An-Nahar that Cousseran did not appear satisfied as to the results of his tour. Indeed, he encountered more extremist positions than what had been apparent in Saint-Cloud where he had been trying to foster an “ice-breaking” atmosphere – seeking to find a common basis for a direct dialogue among [Lebanese] leaders, another of which is to be organized by Kouchner during his visit in Beirut.
Information revealed that the majority approved of holding a dialogue in Beirut on any level in addition to permanently seeking balanced guarantees for the presidential elections and the national unity government. However, Hezbollah’s representatives conveyed to Cousseran on Thursday evening a firm position that rejected any new dialogue that is not parallel to the majority’s unconditional approval of a national unity government.
Hezbollah’s foreign relations officer Nawwaf Moussawi, who was joined by Minister Mohammad Fneish in meeting with Cousseran, reiterated yesterday that the opposition wanted “the table of the Council of Ministers to be the dialogue table.”
Paris is still keeping its diplomatic contacts with Tehran open regarding the Lebanese crisis.
The presidency of the Council of Ministers retaliated sharply to Hassan Nasrallah’s interview with Al-Jazeera as a detailed statement published by its media bureau accused the latter of “trying to change the political landscape during the Israeli aggression [on Lebanon] and inventing positions, facts and elements that were inexistent (…) and that insult the others’ intelligence.”
According to information made available to An-Nahar, the Maronite League joined yesterday in mediation efforts.
Sources close to El-Murr said that his observations of the Metn ambiance and his meetings with the heads of municipalities and others revealed a lack of enthusiasm among voters in the constituency for a harsh electoral battle under these circumstances. However, Murr will not make any new announcements before Aoun’s return and his consulting him.
The battles in Nahr al-Bared witnessed a major clash yesterday during which the army managed to record an even greater progress within the camp and seized a major weapons cache following heavy artillery shelling.
The media office of the presidency published yesterday evening the following statement:
“Within the framework of the flagrant Israeli campaigns against Lebanon, the customs authorities in the Beirut International Airport received a postal packet sent to the president Emile Lahoud by an institution called ‘The Israeli Strategic Studies Center.’ As soon as the presidency was notified of the matter, the customs office was notified as well and airport security refused to receive this packet and returned it to its sender. The competent judicial authorities were also informed of the matter so as to initiate the investigations needed in order to identify the sender.”
· Opening Titles:
The French initiative depends on consultations with Berri.
Ballet of moderates and optimism regarding an outcome that spares the Metn region a battle.
· Local News:
French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran left yesterday for Paris without succeeding in finding common positions between the majority and the opposition.
On the electoral level, there was an intense activity of mediators in order to spare the Metn region in particular the heat of an electoral battle. The Maronite League also made a move towards Bikfaya where it met with President Amin Gemayel. This gave a new impetus to the Patriarch’s initiative in order to reach an outcome sparing the Metn region a battle.
After meeting with MP Pierre Dakkache who is on a mission trying to achieve consensus, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea declared that the former had informed him that “the probability of consensus was acceptable in order to set things straight in the Metn region.”
Cousseran ended his visit in Lebanon yesterday by meeting with Berri and Minister Mohammad Safadi. Sources close to Berri said that France did not propose solutions, but was rather working on bringing opinions closer.
MP Saad Hariri’s visitors yesterday quoted him as saying that the majority wanted guarantees that the presidential elections would be held on time in order to agree on the formation of a national unity government. Hariri expressed his concern that the opposition wanted to hamper the presidential elections so as to form a government in which it would have a paralyzing one-third of seats.
The intensity of clashes in the Nahr al-Bared camp increased yesterday and the intense artillery shelling that started around dawn indicated that the army has entered the last stage of settling the situation on the field as its units continue infiltrating the camp.
· Opening Titles:
The majority links the resumption of dialogue among leaders to Nasrallah’s presence… and Nahr al-Bared to a “step-by-step” process.
Sfeir: Calling for by-elections is unsuitable for the Christians.
· Local News:
The French initiative succeeded in passing time after the fallback of the Arab initiative. In fact, the Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa is preparing to move back along this line when the French efforts stop in order to continue passing time within the framework of the French-Saudi-Iranian truce.
An Arab diplomatic source in Riyadh told As-Safir that the consultations between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran are still going on to this moment.
French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran presents today his report on the results of his Lebanese mission, which he concluded yesterday by a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri. The report will be submitted to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who will arrive in Beirut on Friday afternoon.
The issue of by-elections in the Northern Metn and Beirut was still the object of discussions as it was made known that the State Consultative Council had started examining the contestation filed by the FPM candidate Camille Khoury. Estimations speculated that the Council might reach a surprise ruling that provided an outcome for all parties and expressed the will of the Maronite Patriarchate to close the whole file.
Bishops Samir Mazloum and Boulos Matar continued their contacts with both sides and conveyed the Patriarch’s annoyance as to the way things had evolved. They also transmitted his wish for all candidates to withdraw [their candidacies] as what was going on was not in the Christians’ interest.
The Nahr al-Bared camp witnessed yesterday the heaviest artillery shelling since the clashes started 67 days ago as the army artillery pieces targeted the remaining geographical location that is still under the control of Fatah al-Islam militants (an estimated 40 % of the old camp surface area). Thousands of artillery shells fell on the area from around 4 A.M. yesterday until the evening at a rate of 10 artillery shells per minute, which represents a record since the clashes erupted on May 20.
The head of the League of Palestinian Scholars Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hajj reportedly received a phone call yesterday afternoon from Fatah al-Islam official Shaheen Shaheen who had indicated that the door to negotiations might be opened. However, the Lebanese army declared that it would accept no less than his delivering Shaker al-Abssi and Abu Hureira dead or alive. The army called upon Fatah al-Islam militants to surrender because the decision to settle this battle was irrevocable.
· Opening Titles:
The Metn by-elections: on-field tensions and the Kataeb will not accept Gemayel’s defeat.
The FPM will not accept to relive the same situation he was subjected to on January 23rd.
Kanaan: Avoiding the [electoral] battle depends on the Christians’ participation and the president’s competency
· Local News:
Field indicators suggest that the [electoral] battle will take place and will be the mother of all battles despite Bkirki’s and other mediators’ efforts aimed at reaching a consensus on the Northern Metn by-elections between the FPM and its allies on the one hand, and President Amin Gemayel and the Kataeb Party allies on the other hand.
Information revealed to Ad-Diyar that heavy tension characterized the milieus of FPM and Kataeb sympathizers. Field problems similar to those following the assassination of Minister Pierre Gemayel are mentioned as of possible occurrence. Indeed, the Kataeb sympathizers – on the one hand – consider the Metn region as their political lair. On the other hand, FPM members are making preparations to avoid the reoccurrence of what happened on January 23rd when they imposed roadblocks as well as what happened following the assassination on Minister Pierre Gemayel.
Regarding mediation efforts led by Bishops Abou Jaoudé, Mazloum and Matar, which have reached an advanced stage of discussions, MP Ibrahim Kanaan told Ad-Diyar that the Maronite Patriarchate was still going after a consensus in order to avoid the [electoral] battle.
According to leading political sources, there was some progress with regard to Kouchner’s initiative, which managed – at least – to cool down the political ambiance and lay out the bases in order for both parties to the crisis to seek a solution for the current situation.
Clashes in Nahr al-Bared are intense.