Al-Akhbar: Feltman lands in Beirut as an unwelcome guest

The Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, locally known now as the “new majority,” was not in need of someone to hinder its efforts to form a government, Al-Akhbar wrote in its front page article.

It said March 8 already has enough to block efforts at forming a new Cabinet – contacts severed among its leaders, no one seemingly moving toward consensus and each party lifting the ceiling of demands day after day.

In the midst of it all, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Beirut “with not much good expected from him,” Al-Akhbar opined.

It said Feltman will meet with both President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, in addition to Druze leader MP Walid Jumblatt, head of the Future Parliamentary Bloc Fouad Siniora and the advisor to caretaker Premier Saad Hariri, former Cabinet Minister Mohammed Shatah.

Feltman, according to Al-Akhbar, is also expected to appear on LBC Evening News Friday.

It said that while the timing of Feltman’s visit shocked March 8, March 14 did not seem impressed either.

Al-Liwaa: Feltman to face ‘Lebanese shock’ today

At the crisis scene (Lebanon), both rival international and regional players moved to act simultaneously:

First, the arrival of Jeffrey Feltman with the obvious mission to promote U.S. strategy unveiled by President Barack Obama in his speech Thursday, a policy which more or less shocked the Lebanese and was met with resentment over the full U.S. bias toward Israel, Al-Liwaa said.

Second, the visit from former Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Riza Shibani, who is currently a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official and has experience in Lebanese and Arab affairs, carries a message of support for Lebanon and a warning against the U.S.-Israeli scheme aimed to shake internal stability.

Al-Mustaqbal: Message from Iran precedes Feltman’s talks in Beirut

Efforts to form a new government remain stalled until further notice, “no one knows exactly when,” Al-Mustaqbal wrote on Friday’s front page.

It said that while Feltman, who arrived in Beirut overnight, is expected to hold talks with senior officials and political figures, Shibani, the Iranian envoy, will hand President Michel Sleiman a letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at 9 a.m. Friday.

Shibani, who also arrived in Beirut overnight, will also be meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri as well as MPs Suleiman Franjieh and Michel Aoun and others, according to Al-Mustaqbal.

Feltman is scheduled to meet Saturday with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati.

An-Nahar: Mikati commited to Constitution, stability, economic protection

Despite Feltman’s visit to Beirut which coincides with Shibani’s, An-Nahar wrote, – a reflection of the significance and the implications of regional developments for Lebanon which is sunk in a government crisis – local leaders were, nevertheless, busy with efforts to form a government.

It said Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati revealed to visitors that he was “not willing to acknowledge legal doctrines as long as the Constitution is clear.”

An-Nahar quoted Mikati as saying that his main concern was to form a government as soon as possible so he could attend to people’s concerns.

Mikati, according to An-Nahar, also believes that patience in government formation is “less expensive” than creating a Cabinet that would not meet the desired standards or be able to face the challenges on both the Lebanese and international arenas.

As-Safir: Jumblatt between Paris and Damascus: Exchange of messages?

There were no signs of a breakthrough in the government formation process, As-Safir wrote Friday, as all eyes turned to Feltman’s visit, a trip which is “ambiguous in terms of timing and content.”

Feltman’s visit also comes as the issue of the indictment in the Hariri assassination was back in the spotlight with talk about a “French partnership” aimed at expanding the content of the indictment to reach Syria in addition to Hezbollah, according to As-Safir.

In the meantime, it said, Druze leader Walid Jumblat arrived Thursday from a “brief” visit to Paris, where Syria was the main issue in talks with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and diplomatic adviser to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Jean-David Levitte.

As-Safir said it has learnt that Jumblat’s aide, Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi, will visit Damascus for a meeting with Syrian Vice President Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nassif to convey a message from Jumblatt with a summary of his talks in Paris.