News Introduction for Friday 30-12-2011

It is the end of the week, the end of the month and the end of the year.

Politics are almost absent in this phase, all pending issues are being carried over till next year.

The Lebanese already know what they are putting behind them but they have no idea what is in store for them in the coming year. No surprises next year, the government will be dealing with the wage adjustment issue and the Arsal shootings, hopefully finding their way out of both crises.

When it comes to the postponed issues, the government will have to set a new electoral law for the upcoming parliamentary elections as well as urgently renew the protocol of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as the government has still not had the time to look into these files. 

Most damning, however, the government failed once again to issue a budget plan for 2012.

On the international scene, both the Syrian government and opposition are placed before the Arab monitors’ test: The government is trying to cooperate with the Arab League mission while the opposition is trying to run daily protests to prove its presence on the ground.