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Hariri fils urged to reject Leb Hariri pere tribunal
[Iran Press TV] Saudi Arabia has reportedly called on Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to reject the international tribunal probing the assassination of his father to avoid political crisis in the country.Saudi Arabia as well as Syria and Lebanon's resistance movement of Hezbollah believes that the publication of the findings of the US-backed court could spark civil unrest in Lebanon and therefore has urged the Lebanese premier to withdraw his support from the tribunal's activities, media reports say. The reported request from Riyadh came a day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged Saudis to reject the indictments expected to be issued by the court if they are interested in a strong Lebanon. "If you want Lebanon to remain strong, the indictment should be rejected and we should work together to stop its release," Lebanese newspaper As-Safir quoted Assad as saying on Tuesday. The office of Lebanese prime minister has yet to comment on the Saudi-Syrian offer. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which was established in 2007 to investigate the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, is expected to announce its findings in mid-January 2011. Hariri, along with 22 others, was killed in a massive car bomb explosion in the capital Beirut on February 14, 2005. According to unconfirmed reports, the Washington-backed STL plans to charge some members of Hezbollah in connection with the assassination. The resistance movement, which has vehemently denied any role in the killing, has dismissed the US-backed tribunal as an "Israeli-American project" aimed at undermining the resistance movement and creating division in the country. In an August speech, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah presented evidence proving that Israel had masterminded the assassination. The televised address featured a video captured by Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as well as recorded confessions by Israeli fifth columnists, substantiating that Tel Aviv had been behind the killing. Major political figures and parties in Lebanon have also condemned the indictment, calling it a US-Israeli plot to sow discord in the country. STL is expected to issue indictments, in mid-January, against some of the suspects involved in the killing. Posted by: Fred 2010-12-30 |
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