Introduction to the evening news 09-01-2012

A cold start to the week politically may have been affected by the chilly storms that rolled through Lebanon over the weekend. The wage issue has yet to find its happy ending despite suggestions that a solution is being prepared that allows the labor minister to save face.          

The atmosphere seems to be ripe for the appointment of a president for the Supreme Judicial Council. In this regard, LBCI was informed that Maronite Patriarch Bshara Rai tried play the moderate between two competeing views in order to reach consensus on the appointment of Judge Alice Chaptini. For this purpose Rai hosted minister Jibran Bassil, giving him a message to convey to General Michel Aoun.             

LBCI was also informed that the item of appointing the Secretary General and Director of Political Affairs at the Foreign Ministry was withdrawn to later be dealt with in a full basket of administrative appointments.        

As for the presence of al-Qaeda in Arsal, the meeting of the parliamentary defense committee with Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn did not pour fuel on the issue, as some expected, but rather doused the flames somewhat.           

On the Syrian issue, all players and observers are looking ahead to the 19th of January when the Arab monitors’ month-long mission will end and will submit a new report.