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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Russia 'won't veto Hariri court' but urges Lebanese to agree |
| 2007-04-10 |
| Moscow has no intention of vetoing a UN Security Council decision to form an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday. Mikhail Kaminen told Hayat-LBC that Russia believes an intra-Lebanese agreement on the tribunal can still be reached. A non-functioning Parliament and a lull in intra-Lebanese dialogue has left several pressing questions for Lebanon in the hands of the UN Security Council, from alleged weapons smuggling across the border with Syria to the international tribunal. Kaminen said Moscow has been studying the draft of the tribunal "for a while," and was considering whether to refer it to the Security Council. "We are of the position that the tribunal should not be politicized. It must adopt professional standards and take into consideration the interests of all parties concerned," he explained. The comments by Kaminen follow a warning last week from Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov that divisions inside Lebanon could worsen if the tribunal were set up too quickly. "We take a cautious view of this idea since the question is very acute," Saltanov said on Friday. "Careless steps now can only lead to a worsening of the tension and could lead to a serious, and maybe even dangerous, ethnic split." The possibility that rival Lebanese parties will reach a deal on the tribunal should not be discounted, Saltanov added. If it so decides, the Security Council could invoke extraordinary powers to establish the tribunal under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, and thereby bypass the need for agreement in Lebanon on the court. |
| Posted by:Fred |