DAILY SCOPE: Lebanese Sides Engaging in Dialogue

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES:

AN-NAHAR:

Presidency Enters its Tenth Month without President

ASSAFIR:

"Platforms Dialogue" Does its Job: to "Inkwell" Go

Will "Future" Knock Door of "Grand Serail" Again?

FUTURE:

Berri, Future Attach to Constitutional Norms

AL-AKHBAR:

Aleppo Battle: A Slap in the Face of Ankara
Hariri and Aoun: Positive Communication

A new round of talks was the focus of Lebanese papers on Wednesday, as the fifth dialogue session between Hizbullah and the Future party will take place today. Also, papers uncovered information on the soon meeting to take place between Head of the Future party Saad Hariri and head of the Change and Reform Bloc General Michel Aoun.

On the regional level, papers touched on the Syrian army advancement in Aleppo.

Starting with as-Safir, Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri assured that Hizbullah and the Future party will continue to engage in dialogue to take important decisions, downplaying rumors and controversy on the latest speech made by former PM Saad Hariri. Hariri spoke on Saturday during a rally commemorating the 10th anniversary of the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hizbullah Secretary General for his part, on the anniversary of the martyred leaders, consoled once again the Hariri family on the memory of Rafik Hariri assassination, and told the Future party to engage in confronting extremism in Syria.
"We are done with the speeches of platforms and we will head to the dialogue aimed at taking decisions and implementing them," Berri said in remarks published on Wednesday.

Moreover, as-Safir daily quoted informed sources as saying that Hizbullah and Future have common visions on limiting sectarian tension, consolidating the security situation, backing the army and security forces, confronting terrorism, placing a strategy to counter extremism, holding onto the government and agreeing on the importance of speeding up the presidential elections.

For its part, al-Binaa newspaper quoted informed sources saying that "the dialogue between the two parties will not be affected by the speeches that were given earlier this week. The source assured that the dialogue is an intersection point between both sides, who insist to keep the dialogue ongoing to ease tension despite differences and even though they know the result might be very humble."

Also on the matter, local daily al-Liwaa quoted a Hizbullah source as saying that the development of a strategy is supposed to be discussed during the session at Speaker Nabih Berri's Beirut residence later Wednesday.
"If the strategy wasn't discussed today, then it would be on the next session's agenda," the source said.

The source said the convergence between Hizbullah and the Future Movement on the need for a national strategy to fight terrorism is considered a key factor in defusing sectarian tension.

Another major factor in calming Sunni-Shiite tension was both sides' calls to its supporters to cease with celebratory gunfire, according to the source.
On a related note, Future movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun are expected to meet soon, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The report came after Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil attended on Saturday a rally commemorating the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Al-Akhbar said that Bassil represented the FPM after the Future party invited the movement as a positive step towards rapprochement between two sides.
The representatives of the two parties are discussing ways to limit sectarian tension and possible ways to resolve the presidential crisis. According to al-Akhbar, the meeting between Aoun and Hariri could be held either Wednesday or Thursday before Bassil travels on a tour to Latin America.

Bassil and Hariri's adviser former MP Ghattas Khoury have held a series of contacts to set the stage for the meeting, the daily said despite claims by the ex-lawmaker that he had "no information on the issue."
As for the continuous attempts to equip the Lebanese army, the Lebanese state reportedly rejected a Russian offer to deliver to the Lebanese Army TOS-1 heavy flamethrower systems.

According to al-Akhbar newspaper published on Wednesday, Russian authorities expressed readiness, through direct and indirect channels, to deliver the multiple rocket launcher to Lebanon from a $1 billion Saudi donation. However, the Lebanese authorities rejected the offer claiming that the range of the rockets doesn't exceed six kilometers and the system opposes human rights due to its highly destructive capabilities.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, who is affiliated to the Future Movement, had announced from Moscow on September 20 that the "Lebanese army will soon purchase new arms from Russia."

Tackling terrorism, an-Nahar newspaper reported that a delegation from the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the European Parliament is expected to arrive in Lebanon on Wednesday for talks with senior officials.

Talks will focus on the bilateral ties, the political and security developments in Lebanon, the presidential deadlock, the repercussions of the war raging in Syria on Lebanon and the regional.

"We have a common enemy, which is terrorism," EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides told the newspaper.

He remarked that it is essential to have a "deeper cooperation" in this regard, noting that the "terrorist acts don't target a specific religion or culture but our common heritage."

Source: al-Ahed news