Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese and Pan-Arab newspapers Sunday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

Ad-Diyar

Arab League suspends Syria's membership

Patriarch Rai attack on Ad-Diyar ignoring the publisher of the book. Is the person who conveys infidelity himself an infidel?

In a historic decision, yet harmful one to Pan-Arabism, the Arab League Saturday suspended Syria's membership and before getting into the details we would like to respond to Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai who spoke and offended the dignity of the owners of Ad-Diyar.

That is because Ad-Diyar published one page from a French book that Ad-Diyar has no links to. [The newspaper's] aim was to warn the Maronite patriarch of the presence of this book in the market and has been published on the Internet against the patriarch. Does this mean that those who publish infidelity are themselves infidels?

We say to the patriarch that we did not actually publish the contents of the book. We will not publish anything that offends us. We will not publish the contents of the book that was approved for publication by the French House of Publications but we will publish two sentences from French officials who participated in the meeting [with the patriarch] who asked: How can Patriarch Rai, a man of religion and who is over 70 years old, dye his hair black contrary to the concepts of purity and the value of the patriarchate seat?

So why does the Maronite patriarch ignore the publisher, the house of publication, and the French authorities and attack us?

Al-Hayat

Islamic Council rejects harming post of PM or placing Lebanon in confrontation with international legitimacy

The Higher Islamic Council in Lebanon headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani said the critical balances which govern the country required respect for posts that represent the various sects in society.

Consequently, the council warned against harming the status of the post of prime minister or harming any other national position and [warned] against revenge taken by officials so that it would not reflect negatively on the general stability in the country.

The council urged the Lebanese to remain vigilant of the dangers in the current phase, bolster the local scene, steer clear from any conflicts. The council also urged that Lebanon not fail in its obligations toward the international tribunal and not to place the country in confrontation with the international community.

The council held its meeting in Dar al-Fatwa with the presence of Prime Minister Najib Mikati and head of the Future Movement Parliamentary bloc, MP Fouad Siniora, where they discussed developments on the Arab and Lebanese scenes.

Sources told Al-Hayat that the council's warning against harming the post of prime minister stemmed from the heated debate that took place during a Cabinet session two days ago while the ministers were discussing a draft law to separate ministerial posts from parliamentary ones.

During the session, Free Patriotic Movement ministers insisted that the draft law include the separation of the post of prime minister. That proposal was rejected by Progressive Socialist Party ministers as well as Mikati's ministers and prompted Mikati to say that the post of the prime minister was similar to the post of the president and the speaker of the house.

The council also expressed its deep concerns over the scenes of killing and violence that was accompanying peoples’ movements calling for freedom, dignity and the right to a descent life in some Arab countries. It urged Lebanese institutions and civil society to play an active role in guaranteeing shelter for the Syrian brothers who were forced to escape their country and take refuge in Lebanon.

Al-Mustaqbal

Government isolates Lebanon from the Arabs

Lebanon’s rejection of the Arab League’s decision on Syria will not go unnoticed on the domestic and Arab scenes, especially given that Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour insisted after the [League] meeting to express solidarity with the Syrian regime in the face of Arab consensus, saying: "Lebanon cannot tolerate that and it is useless," according to diplomatic sources.

In any case, Mansour, who travelled to Egypt, said that “suspending the participation of Syrian delegations in Arab League meetings signaled danger and we cannot agree with such a decision, especially the decision to withdraw all Arab ambassadors from Damascus and place economic and political sanctions against Syria.”

Diplomatic sources said that the Lebanese stance was expected because the Lebanese government is the only that still defends the Syrian regime and it is a government formed by that regime. Consequently, we cannot stand against [Lebanon] but it is unacceptable for Lebanon to be in confrontation with Arab consensus like Yemen. Lebanon should have at least abstained from voting .

Meanwhile, MP Marwan Hamadeh welcome the "Arab awakening which began by supporting the fight of the Syrian people against its oppressive rulers," asking the government to resign for isolating Lebanon from the Arab world in addition to its international and national isolation.

An-Nahar

Hariri expressed disgrace over government’s position [on Syria]

March 14 discuss the fate of Syrian, Lebanese ambassadors

The Syrian event yesterday was also a Lebanese one par excellence. Foreign Affairs Minister Adanan Mansour's position to support the Syrian regime during the Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo triggered a storm of reactions from various parts of the opposition, primarily former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, while other officials remained silent when we asked them about their reaction to biases when faced with an Arab consensus. The official reaction will come during Cabinet regular session Tuesday at the Grand Serail. Talks are expected to center on how Lebanon is going to deal with the consequences.

A senior source in the March 14 coalition told An-Nahar that the alliance would begin raising the issue of the fate of both the Syrian and Lebanese ambassadors in Beirut and Damascus (Ali Abdel Karim Ali and Michel Khoury) respectively, in light of the Arab ministers' call to withdraw all Arab ambassadors from Damascus. The source described Mansour's decision as a reflection of Hezbollah's government and Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He noted that Iraq's decision to abstain showed respect for the ties between Iraq’s government with Syria and Iran and respected the domestic makeup of the country, something that Hezbollah's government did not respect.

Source asked: "Where are they taking Lebanon after Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced that he did not recognize international resolutions and Mansour's decision not to recognize Arab ones?"

Hariri said he was shamed of Lebanon’s position in the Arab league, urging the Syrian people not to consider this a reflection of the will of the Lebanese. During a Twitter session Saturday, Hariri described the Arab League's decision as a victory and evidence that Arabs can take stances on the international scene, adding that, finally, the Arabs had taken a position regarding the Syrian people, who have been calling for freedom, democracy and dignity.