April 15, 2010 - Naharnet - Washington: International Tribunal Not a Bargaining Chip

The U.S. has stressed that support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon "and its pursuit of justice will not waver" and reiterated that the court tasked with trying ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's suspected assassins "is not a bargaining chip."
The stance was made on Wednesday by U.S. Deputy Representative to the U.N. Alejandro Wolff. He told a Security Council session on the Middle East that the court "remains key tool to end the era of impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon." "As Secretary of State (Hillary) Clinton has noted, the tribunal is not a bargaining chip; it is an independent judicial process," Wolff said. He also stressed that Washington remains committed to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and independence.