DAILY SCOPE: Litani River Calamity Ongoing, No Soon Solution to Crises in Lebanon

Local Editor

LEBANESE DAILIES:

Telecoms Conflict: Who Takes Control...Paving Way for Privatization

AN-NAHAR:

Berri: No Constituent Conference, Taif in All Its articles

AL-AKHBAR:

Syrian Refugees: International Funding for Lebanon a Substituting Country

AL-LIWAA:

Litani and Traffic Crisis Invades Council of Ministers

Newspapers on Friday focused on the different internal files, including the ministerial council and the presidential elections. Newspapers also tackled the economic and financial situation in Lebanon and the Syrian refugees' crisis.

AL-AKHBAR: International Pressure on Lebanon; Refugees' Crisis Lingering

It is not possible to overlook the file of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, said al-Akhbar newspaper, adding that the dangers of the crisis are on the rise, especially amid the broiling internal situation in Lebanon and in light of the international rejection to carrying out any procedures that would organize the displacement of the refugees.

According to sources, Lebanon is becoming used to the presidential void and to the new "Syrian presence" in the country. The sources pointed out that some donor international players and organizations are preparing the environment to the displacement of the Syrian refugees.

The sources further added that through the mobilization of international and local organizations and institutions and under the cover of human rights and civil society, an organized campaign is being carried out on the political, media and social levels to defend the rights of the refugees and reflecting their sufferings in Lebanon through media. These organizations try to put Lebanon under pressure under the pretext of protecting the rights and needs of the refugees.

On the same note, sources told the newspaper that "the politicians and ministers concerned with the Syrian refugees crisis talk about the unfeasibility of action in light of the international insistence on keeping the Syrian refugees in Lebanon despite the fact that they form a pressure on the Lebanese community on the economic and security levels.

AN-NAHAR: Ministerial Council Session Was Productive

Ministerial sources told An-Nahar newspaper that the ministerial Council session on Thursday was "productive" owing to the efforts of PM Tammam Salam who was able to contain the discussions within "the redlines". According to the sources, discussing the fourth article of the telecoms contracts was postponed until the 27th of July.

On a related note, the cabinet discussed the environmental calamity afflicting the Litani River in south Lebanon, which constitutes a threat to the residents of the area and their lives.

The Litani River is a major source of fresh water for local farmers and a place for the residents of the south and the Bekaa to swim.

AL-LIWAA: Litani River Pollution a National Matter

Sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that the calamity of the Litani River is a national issue and does not concern only one sect or political party in the country. Minister of Public works and transportation Ghazi Zayter told the newspaper that the issue is a national matter where the Lebanese should unite together in confronting.

The Litani is Lebanon's longest river, starting from west of Baalbek in the northeast, and emptying into the Mediterranean Sea between the southern coastal cities of Sidon and Tyre.

The water is polluted with a mixture of wastewater, human excrement, industrial runoff and residual sand from quarries. Following tests, the Litani's murky waters were found to contain traces of bacteria that cause a host of maladies including typhoid and salmonella. The Cabinet agreed Thursday to form a ministerial committee to address the environmental calamity.

AL-BINAA: Ayrault's Visit Did Not Achieve Success, Pressure to Resolve Refugees' Crisis

Well-informed sources told al-Binaa newspaper on Friday that the French Foreign Minister Ayrault did not achieve any success in files, the presidential impasse and the Syrian refugees' crisis. Following his visit, he arrived to a conclusion that the political status in Lebanon does not allow the carrying out of elections.

The sources further noted that the most serious meeting was that of Ayrault with the Hizbullah delegation.

Moreover, the sources had reported that the House Speaker Nabih Berri and the Foreign Minister Jebran Basil stressed the importance of tackling the Syrian refugees' file and putting pressure on the international community and helping Lebanon is resolving the crisis.

Source: al-Ahed News