Introduction to the evening news 06-03-2012

As of today, the anti-smoking law will be implemented at Parliament. But despite this positive step, black smoke emerging from the divergence of positions between March 14 and March 8 on the billions spent from 2006 to the end of 2011 is piling up. The committee suggested by Speaker Berri was born dead, and the second parliamentary session expected to be held on the 15th of this month will be faced with obstacles amid General Michel Aoun’s insistence to separate the $8.9 trillion issue from the $11 billion spent by Siniora’s governments. A ministerial source from the National Patriotic Movement told LBCI that this position is final and not negotiable under any circumstances.       

In this atmosphere, the cabinet will convene tomorrow at the Grand Serail with an agenda comprising regular items, most importantly the e-press item. However, a ministerial source told LBCI that it does not rule out that issues not included in the agenda will be put on the table, breaking the session’s usual routine.       

Regionally, the Syrian crisis is still at a standstill since it is the subject of international division. In this context, Moscow advised western countries this evening not to expect a shift in the Russian position.        

However, the most important development today took place in Libya, indicating a change in its political map; in fact, the region of Barqa in oil-rich eastern Libya created a separate governing council, which marks a tendency to autonomy.