DAILY SCOPE: Presidential Impasse Continues, Russia Provides Syria with Arms

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES:

AS-SAFIR:

Will Russian Enhancements Limit ‘Israeli' Movement in Syria?

Pope Starts Tour in Europe

AL-AKHBAR:

Future Party Disrupts Initiatives

Berri Patrons a ‘Palestinian' Dialogue Table

AD-DIYAR:

Wastes Plan after Eid, Plan Certainly to Be Carried Out In Akkar

AL-LIWAA:

Dialogue Follows Up on Regional Changes: 6 Sessions Begin on 6 October

Lebanese newspapers on Wednesday highlighted the presidential impasse and cabinet paralysis in Lebanon, as some officials keep putting impediments in the way of finding solutions to the current crises. The dailies also followed up on the regional issues, with focus on the Russian support to Syria and its armament to the Syrian army, which had caused a sense of alert and worry among the ‘Israeli' officials who took their fears with them in a visit to Russia earlier on Monday.

Conditions Not Ripe to Elect President --- AS-SAFIR

Head of the Democratic Gathering Bloc MP Walid Jumblat has mocked the failure to elect a new president by proposing to move the national dialogue from ‘Beirut to the islands of Seychelles'.

In remarks to As-Safir daily published on Wednesday, Jumblat said he made the proposal to insist that "the conditions are not yet ripe for the election of a president."

Baabda Palace has been vacant since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

Jumblat's remarks came one day after he attended a meeting on the sidelines of the national dialogue at the parliament, which brought together Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun, al-Mustaqbal bloc leader lawmaker Fouad Seniora and the head of Hizbullah's bloc MP Mohammed Raad.

The meeting sought to revive the work of the government which has been paralyzed over its working mechanism and military promotions.

However, the top officials failed to reach a deal on the promotions, a key demand of Aoun, who wants to keep Commando Regiment chief Chamel Roukoz in the military and make him eligible to become army commander.

Garbage Crisis Soon to an End --- AN-NAHAR

In a follow up on the waste management crisis issue, An-Nahar newspaper said that the crisis still lingers with the ongoing objections on some choices of new landfills, yet the cabinet has said that the crisis is soon to come to an end.

Minister of Agriculture Akram Shehayeb told An-Nahar daily on Wednesday "We are currently working on preparing a landfill in Srar area in Akkar and another landfill in a mountainous at the borders between Syria and Lebanon."

The minister also said that the Ne'meh landfill, of which its closure was the beginning of the crisis in the country will be re-opened, and the government will follow up on the tiniest details.

On Tuesday, Shehayeb said after a meeting with Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nuhad al-Mashnouq that "the only way to resolve the garbage crisis was by sticking to the solution we reached. We want all the political and non-political obstacles to be flattened so we could finally tell the citizens that the implementation of the plan has kicked off."

Russia Provides Syrian Army with High-Precision Arms --- AS-SAFIR

As-Safir newspaper quoted military sources as saying that the Syrian army has begun using Russian arms in its battle against the takfiri and terrorist groups of "ISIL".

A Syrian high-ranking military source said "We can surely confirm the delivery of 5 Russian planes at least and an unidentified number of reconnaissance planes to the military base in Latakia last week," noting that "the army started using this equipment in its battles in Deir al-Zour and Raqqa, with which it targeted terrorist groups."

The source further noted that "the arms delivered are not limited to planes only, but there are long-range missiles, qualitative arms of high precision in hitting the target, as well as weapons of defense and attack."

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, around 38 Takfiri militants were killed in airstrikes in the ancient city of Palmyra, located 215 kilometers [133 miles] northeast of the capital Damascus and two other towns on Monday.

"The number of raids is growing and the strikes are more precise after the Syrian air force received arms and more efficient planes from Moscow," said the UK-based monitoring group's director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Source: al-Ahed News, Edited by website team