ROUND-UP 28-10-2009
Suspicious Rockets launched at "Israel" are back on the scene, as calm prevails regarding the process of forming the government. Optimistic and pessimistic stances on the formation [of the government] intersect amid uncertainty of a near resolution. The Lebanese area is still crowded with negotiations though shrouded in secrecy and all awaits the revelations of the coming days.
Al Akhbar
Titles
The [government]-formation negotiations are now enshrouded in secrecy.
A suspicious rocket hits Kiyrat Shmona and disturbs Houla.
Marwa Al Shrbeyne adjudges European racism and "Islam phobia"
News
The [government]-formation crisis continued yesterday with no updates on the level of publicized talks amid optimistic and pessimistic stances on the matter.
Sources close to Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the opposition said that meetings are now covered in the utmost secrecy, as most of them are being held behind the scenes.
Al-Akhbar has learned that the opposition entrusted MP Sleiman Franjieh with smoothing things over with Hariri. According to well-informed sources, Franjieh "is making dynamic efforts for this aim and is keeping General Michel Aoun, Hizbullah and the Amal Movement briefed on the latest developments."
The Telecommunications portfolio is now certainly being discussed again, "although not in order to exchange it [with another portfolio], but rather to have it still allotted to the Change and Reform bloc."
Mean while, a suspicious rocket was launched yesterday toward the occupied Palestinian territories from Houla , a southern Lebanese village on the borders of occupied Palestine .
Accordingly, "Israeli" army responded by firing seven artillery shells near the village and the surroundings of Wadi al-Salouqi.
UN Security Council held a closed session during which it discussed the secretary general's report on the implementation of Resolution 1559.
As-safir
Titles
The probable agreement: Things are to remain as they are ... with adjustments
President Nejad: we can fill the void resulted from the Western failure
News
MP Sleiman Franjieh is acting as a mediator between General Michel Aoun, President Michel Sleiman and PM-designate Saad Hariri. Meanwhile, Speaker Berri has tasked MP Ali Hassan Khalil with doing the same in an attempt to add new proposals.
According to well-informed sources, a phone conversation was held yesterday between the prime minister-designate and General Aoun during which they decided on meeting soon. Hariri would then provide a explicit response on some of the latest proposals.
Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil refused to comment on any "potentially positive progress or developments," saying to As-Safir, "We still consider that the prime minister-designate holds the key to the solution, and we are waiting for him to come up with answers and convincing proposals."
Aoun reportedly rejected yesterday evening the latest offer made by the prime minister-designate, whereby he would be given the ministries of Telecommunications, Tourism, Culture and the Displaced.
The Turkish Prime Minister Recip Tayeb Erdogan visited Iran yesterday where he met the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad. The Turkish MP found an Iranian openness toward enhancing political and trading relations between the two countries, talking about an important regional cooperation between Iran, Turkey and Syria. While the Iranian president welcomed the Turkish stance on "Israel", adding that Tehran and Ankara can fill the world's political void resulted from western mistakes.
An-Nahar
Opening Titles
Hariri stresses the "action plan" [of the new government]; Sleiman and Berri see a solution looming in the horizon.
Local News
A katyusha rocket was fired yesterday from Wadi al-Jamal near the southern village of Houla toward "Israel". The "Israeli" army responded, firing seven artillery shells near the village and the surroundings of Wadi al-Salouqi.
UNIFIL spokesperson Yasmina Bouziane issued a statement, calling on both sides to abide by the utmost degree of self-restraint and avoid any measures that may lead to additional difficulties.
Outgoing PM Fouad Siniora criticized the incident, saying, "The Lebanese government does not agree on [the rocket fire] and it will not allow the Lebanese territory to be used as a mailbox for any side wishing to drag Lebanon toward tension."
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri inaugurated yesterday the Saudi-Lebanese Forum and stated a speech in which he assured the need for the government to be one of national unity, not only in the political sense of the word, but also on the economic, social and developmental level.
Sources who visited President Michel Sleiman quoted him as saying that the government-formation talks have made good progress. According to the sources, MP Sleiman Franjieh's visit to the president is in keeping with the former's efforts aiming to remove hindrances.
Sources quoted Speaker Nabih Berri as saying that the outlook is positive, because the main obstacles are now removed. Berri reportedly spoke of an orientation to "allot the Telecommunications portfolio to the Free Patriotic Movement, albeit without Minister Gebran Bassil at its helm."
