DAILY SCOPE: Lebanon Sinks in Garbage, Extraordinary Session to See Light?

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NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

AS-SAFIR

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AL-AKHBAR

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AN-NAHAR

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AL-JOMHOURIYA

Secret Meeting for Countries on Syria Crisis
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Lebanese newspapers were busy on Tuesday discussing the bomb of ‘garbage disposal' in Lebanon, which constitutes a major environmental crisis as the government shut down the country's major landfill in Ne'meh, with garbage piling on the streets across Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The papers also tackled the possible extraordinary session to be held by the parliament to solve the governmental impasse, and touched on other different security and political matters.

Army Attackers Captured by Army --- AS-SAFIR

The Lebanese army said on Tuesday that it has arrested a Lebanese man in the northeastern border town of Arsal overnight on charges of participating in attacks on army bases last year. As-Safir newspaper quoted a military communiqué saying that Hassan Mohammed Chahine was apprehended "for participating along with others in attacks on army bases during the Arsal clashes in August 2014."

The deadly gun battles erupted after terrorists from al-Nusra Front and the so-called Islamic State extremist group overran the town. The militants took hostages from the army and police and later executed four of them. The rest remain in captivity on Arsal's outskirts in the Syrian region of Qalamoun.

The army communiqué said that a military unit also arrested in the area of Deir Ashash Syrian national Mohammed Mustafa Derbas on suspicion of committing terrorist acts. Derbas was driving a car with a fake license plate and was carrying a fake ID, it said.

Hizbullah Effort for Holding Extraordinary Sessions, Reconciliation --- AL-BINAA

Well-informed sources told al-Binaa newspaper that ‘Hizbullah has been putting effort to calm matters down and restore relations between the Head of the Free Patriotic movement Gen. Michel Aoun and the Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri. This comes in an attempt to find an understanding that paves the way for an extraordinary parliamentary session to solve the cabinet and presidential crises in Lebanon.

On a related note, FPM Leader MP Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that his party does not intend to topple Prime Minister Tammam Salam's government.

"Toppling the cabinet led by Tammam Salam is not among the objectives we are currently working on," Aoun told Iran's state news agency IRNA.

"Our priority is to object from within the cabinet and continue our street protests," he said.

Aoun reiterated that the FPM ministers would object the discussion of any item before dealing with the cabinet's decision-making mechanism.

Jumblatt Meets Holland, Discusses Extraordinary Session --- AL-LIWAA

French President François Hollande and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt met in Paris on Monday, addressing the possibility of holding an extraordinary parliament session.

"The likelihood of holding an extraordinary parliamentary session was brought up during the meeting [with Hollande]," Jumblatt said in remarks published Tuesday by the local daily Al-Liwaa.

Jumblatt said the meeting Monday "focused on the situation in Lebanon from various political and economic aspects."

The politician further said the Paris meeting also discussed the "discouraging signs for Lebanon's economy if paralysis continues to prevail over constitutional institutions."

Jumblatt was accompanied by his son Taymour, who is being groomed to take his father's parliamentary seat, and said that Hollande invited Taymour to "get to know him."
"It was more of a family meeting," he said, adding that Hollande expressed his country's support for the Progressive Socialist Party and for Lebanon.

Parliament last week failed for the 26th consecutive time since April last year to elect a president due to a lack of quorum, prompting Speaker Nabih Berri to schedule a new session for Aug. 12.

Environment Minister in Charge of Garbage Crisis--- AL-BINAA

Well-informed sources assured al-Binaa newspaper that the environment minister is directly responsible for the environmental crisis hitting Lebanon, as piles of garbage fill the streets across the country.

Trash spilled out of dumpsters in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Monday, hours after waste management company Sukleen suspended garbage collection in the two regions.

Sukleen has been unable to dispose of waste after the Environment Ministry closed the overfilled Naameh landfill last Friday. The company said it was waiting for the state to identify new disposal grounds and the Environment Ministry has yet to propose a feasible alternative. Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk said he would raise the matter again at Thursday's Cabinet session.

The glaring sun showed no pity toward residents, who can now count away the days, if not hours, as the streets stench as they did for a week last year when demonstrators blocked Sukleen trucks from reaching Naameh. With its closure, Machnouk asked municipalities to dispose of their own waste, instead.

Few could locate suitable grounds, and Sukleen stopped collecting garbage on Sunday, saying its on-site premises had filled up with accumulated trash. Each municipality has responded differently to the crisis.

Source: Al-Ahed News, Edited by website team