Lebanon's Arabic Press Digest - June 7, 2014

An-Nahar

Nasrallah denies seeking tripartite power sharing

With the stalemate dominating political, government and parliamentary efforts to end the deadlock, hopes that such efforts might resolve anything before the legislative sessions Monday and Tuesday – one elect a new president and the other to discuss and potential approve the salary scale bill – subsided. Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah's remarks yesterday were noteworthy however, especially when he clarified sensitive issues that have stirred controversy – primarily the tripartite power sharing formula, as well as the salary scale ordeal, the presidential election and the results of the Syrian presidential election.

Sources in the Lebanese Forces told An-Nahar that Nasrallah’s talk about a strong Christian candidate for the presidency is a good thing but that the candidate should have a clear, valuable agenda. The sources said they agree with Nasrallah that the election should be purely Lebanese-made but he along with his allies should secure quorum for the upcoming session or else he would be responsible for disrupting the election.

As-Safr

Saving the official exams is everyone’s responsibility

Lebanon is without a president for the 14th day. There has been nothing new in the efforts or prayers and the fate of this week's session will be the same as previous ones as we wait for foreign inspiration. That was Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s point yesterday when he called on politicians to abandon such an idea because "the outside is too busy for Lebanon."

Meanwhile, negotiations over the salary scale bill have not reached a conclusion to settle the dispute over the means to finance the draft law, which has been put on hold for three years, as parliamentary blocs seem lost between attending or boycotting the session in light of the presidential vacuum.

Al-Mustaqbal

March 14 to Nasrallah: Delusion of victory does not produce president

After Al-Mustaqbal leaked what Patriarch Beshara Rai spoke about with the delegation from the Maronite institutions, Nasrallah responded to Rai's fears that the purpose behind disputing the election is to impose a tripartite power-sharing formula. He said such an idea was a "delusion," asking those who made the allegations to come up with proof.

March 14 coalition General Secretariat Fares Souaid said the only delusion is Nasrallah's feeling that he won in Syria and in Iraq, saying to Al- Mustaqbal: "Nasrallah's delusion will not produce a president or facilitate a compromise to do so."

"Nasrallah's insistence on denying that he sought the tripartite formula only proves our suspicion,” Souaid said.

"His tone yesterday did not reassure us but it increased our fears that he wants to eliminate the equal power sharing formula with the tripartite one.”