Introduction to the evening news 09-10-2011

Up until Wednesday, date of the General Labor Union’s strike, we are in a race against time. Until now, no agreement was reached on the minimum salary awaiting Tuesday’s ministerial meetings sponsored by PM Najib Mikati who conveyed all files to Baabda Palace today in the afternoon, following his extended meeting with the House Speaker yesterday.      

The presidential meeting in Baabda also touched on controversial and critical topics, such as the STL funding and the Lebanese official response to the Syrian crisis. In the same context, President Sleiman sent off the director-general of the General Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim to Damascus to convey his condolences to the Syrian Mufti whose son was assassinated. Ibrahim also met with many Syrian security leaders to discuss the latest incidents that shook the Lebanese-Syrian border.      

Given the haziness of the current period in both Lebanon and Syria, silence is golden. In fact, MP Walid Jumblatt surprised everyone by not taking a particular position, contrary to everyone's expectations, during a ceremony organized for the new adherents to the Progressive Socialist Party. Furthermore, Hezbollah ministers, MPs and leaders talked about almost everything except the STL and its funding. Also unusually, Minister Gebran Bassil did not make a speech during his tour in Northern Lebanon.      

In Syria, the diplomatic attack against the Syrian regime is ongoing. In a threatening tone, Minister Moallem said that Damascus will adopt strict measures against any country that recognizes the opposition’s Syrian National Council that, unexpectedly, did not convene today in Cairo for many reasons that one of its members, Adib Shishakly, revealed to LBC.         

In parallel, surprising news surged in Tunisia where the police clashed with Islamists protesters for the first time since the uprising. This occurred following two major incidents: first, Islamists attacked a private TV station and tried to burn it down for it broadcasted an Iranian-French movie and organized a debate on religious extremism. Second, Islamists tried to break into a university in southern Tunisia after the administration refused the admission of a veiled woman. As for Egypt, security forces scattered thousands of Copts who were protesting in central Cairo.