Introduction to the evening news 10-02-2012

Friday 10 witnessed rapidly unfolding events and an escalation in stances. This Friday registered a military and diplomatic development on the Syrian level.

The stance that caught our eye was that of King Abdullah. In fact, the Saudi King said that the world’s faith in the United Nations was shaken and these events do not bode well.  

The Saudi stance is a reaction to the Russian-Chinese vetoes against a U.N. Security Council resolution on the adoption of the Arab initiative. Will this criticism be the green light for a joint Arab-international project that does not fall under the umbrella of the United Nations?

This stance coincides with the EU’s determination to impose further sanctions against Syria. Perhaps the sanction that will deal a blow to the Syrian economy will be the ban on Phosphate imports, a primordial trade for Syria.

Diplomacy and military actions were going hand in hand today. In fact, Aleppo witnessed today two twin blasts while the regime and the opposition exchanged more than gunfire. Accusations were tossed back and forth regarding the party behind the blasts.

In Lebanon, the north is feeling the Syrian crisis from Tripoli to Wadi Khaled. In Tripoli, tensions are running high in Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen as a direct reflection of the Syrian developments.

Meanwhile, in Wadi Khaled, the LAF started deploying troops in the region. Meanwhile, President Michel Sleiman crowned his visit to France by meeting his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy.