Introduction to the evening news 14-05-2012

As of last Saturday, the Lebanese state began working to the beat of events in Tripoli, which, in turn, are inextricably linked to the developments in Damascus.          

The arrest of Shadi el Mawlawi prompted the escalating violence in Tripoli and his release would almost certainly stabilize the situation once again. It is at once a simple yet terribly complex situation. El Mawlawi is now in the custody of the judicial branch that issued a warrant for his arrest. However, the arrest has led to protests in Lebanon’s second city calling for his release.        
This situation has spun off a political subplot with a feud erupting between Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi and General Security. It was in one of Safadi’s Tripoli social services office where Mawlawi was arrested.  Despite the interior minister summoning the arresting officer for questioning Safadi insisted on being fully briefed on the circumstances behind the arrest and to punish those that decided to use his office to lure Mawlawi into a trap.        

Not long ago, Sheikh Ahmad el Asir arrived in Tripoli to participate in the sit in. This explosive situation forced Prime Minister Najib Mikati to cancel an afternoon meeting to discuss public spending, focusing his attention on the developments in the northern capital. Some sources even mentioned the possibility of postponing Wednesday’s Cabinet session.