Introduction to the evening news 10-11-2011

On the eve of the first and perhaps the only hearing session at this stage of the STL proceedings in The Hague, the tribunal’s funding is again a forefront issue in light of Lebanon’s failure to pay its share for the year 2011 and the absence of a clear decision as to next year’s financial obligations.    

In London, voices calling for the funding of the STL held PM Mikati’s ear and in Beirut, the French envoy and the Assistant Treasury Secretary for terrorism funding echoed the same sentiments. So, is the Lebanese priority today for sparing the government or funding the STL?    

PM Mikati who is threatening to resign in case STL funding is not approved is betting on time and on the Syrian stance which is keen on the government. Hezbollah is also keen on the government so long as it is not at the expense of the party’s position rejecting the international court. Here lies the equation of contradictory choices.    

The impact of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon is affecting the political scene in the country. The U.S. calls for Lebanon to close its borders and ban its banks from receiving Syrian funds were touched on by PM Mikati who stressed that no Lebanese citizen can accept to put the banking sector at risk.    

As said by official sources, the President of the Republic and the LAF commander denied today allegations by the Lebanese opposition according to which Syrian opposition members were abducted in Lebanon excluding those kidnapping incidents known to all.    

In Syria, the regime is still seeking to tighten its grip on Homs ahead of the meeting of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Saturday where they will be facing a multi-dimensional dilemma. According to Arab diplomatic sources, freezing Syria’s membership in the Arab League is hard to achieve since it contradicts the Arab choice of resolving the crisis and means a rupture between the League and Syria.    

Moreover, dealing with the crisis in the Security Council is bound to failure due to Russia’s and China’s potential veto. Arab diplomatic sources speaking to Agence France Presse added that imposing a no-fly zone on Syria is a matter Arabs do not agree on under the pretext that it would destroy Syria, put the Arab national security at risk and make the Syrian scene a playground for lurking regional powers.    

The Arabs are also facing divisions within the Syrian opposition. Sources raised alternatives including the formation of a committee of elders tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Arab initiative on the ground in Syria.