News Introduction for Friday 04-11-2011

Five days off: the upcoming weekend, 3 days for Eid al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice” and enough time for the government to delay critical pending issues and files once again.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s funding file is still pending between the Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s statement refusing the funding and the desperate attempts of PM Najib Mikati to find a glimmer of hope and a possible “green light” to fund the STL.  

This long break will eventually give time to Mikati during his visit to London to discuss with British officials all pending issues in the Middle East. And it seems that the wage adjustment file is postponed until the end of next week in an attempt to find a compromise between the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers demands and those of the economic bodies.

From the vacation in Beirut to the deadline on the Syrian scene: The Arab League committee still awaits the withdrawal of the Syrian army from the streets and cities in order to enter the second phase of the Arab initiative and to set a date to launch a national dialogue between the opposition and Assad’s regime. On the other hand, the Syrian Interior Ministry today called on the insurgents to turn themselves in and lay down their arms within one week in order to receive amnesty.

These calls were translated by some as a means to evade the Arab initiative items while 20 were killed in several Syrian cities in a new round of demonstrations today. Before we discuss all of these issues, how would the Lebanese refugees who have been in Israel for more than eleven years see the law passed in parliament allowing for their safe return home? .