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Lebanon transfers funds to UN Hariri court: PM
[Al Ahram] Leb's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday he had transferred its share of funding to a UN-backed court probing the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an issue that threatened to spark the collapse of his government."This morning, I transferred Leb's share of funding to the Special Tribunal for Leb (TSL)," Mikati said in a surprise announcement. He said the decision was in Leb's interest and would protect the country from the upheavals shaking the region. "This does not constitute a victory for one party over another," the premier told news hounds. Mikati last week threatened to resign should his Hezbullies-dominated government refuse to fund the STL, and the issue was to be discussed on Wednesday at a cabinet meeting that was postponed. The Netherlands-based court has indicted four Hezbullies operatives in connection with Hariri's murder but they have not surrendered to the court. Hezbullies chief Hassan Nasrallah, who has denounced the court as part of a US-Israeli conspiracy, has steadfastly pushed with his allies for Leb to cut all ties with the tribunal. The Shiite bad boy group toppled the government of Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. , the slain leader's son, in January after he refused to stop cooperation with the court. Leb is responsible for meeting 49 percent of the STL's financing, which amounts to some $35 million (25.2 million euros) this year. Mikati's government had until the end of October to transfer the now overdue funds. The premier said last week that he would rather quit than be head of a government that did not honour its international obligations. Posted by: Fred 2011-12-01 |
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