BEIRUT: French President Nicolas Sarkozy conveyed his worries to President Michel Sleiman over the tense situation in Lebanon due to an impending indictment to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) set up to try suspects involved in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, Lebanese daily An-Nahar reported Sunday.
The paper noted that Sarkozy was committed to the STL because “the Lebanese demanded its formation.”
Sleiman met Sarkozy over the weekend on the sidelines of the 13th Francophone summit, which was held this weekend in the city of Montreux, Switzerland. The French president reportedly expressed his concerns over Hizbullah’s rejection of being implicated in Hariri’s assassination.
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said he expected members of his party to be targeted by the indictment, dismissing the STL as an “Israeli project” that targeted the resistance, demanding that the body be dissolved.
But March 14 figures led by Premier Saad Hariri, the slain premier’s son, have objected to Hizbullah’s campaign against the STL prior to the indictments, saying the tribunal was not politicized and offered Lebanon the only chance of punishing the guilty.
A statement issued by Baabda Palace said Sarkozy and Sleiman discussed the Middle East peace process along with bilateral relations between the two countries and means to enhance them on all levels and in all fields.
According to An-Nahar, Sarkozy voiced France’s readiness to host influential Lebanese leaders, in a bid to help resolve the conflict Lebanon was experiencing, but gave no further details.
Sarkozy also reportedly expressed his concern over the safety of French soldiers participating in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
While delivering a speech during the first closed working session of the Francophone summit, Sleiman said any permanent solution for the Middle East conflict should necessarily be just and comprehensive, “dealing with all aspects and fields of the conflict.”
While delivering a speech during the first closed working session of the Francophone summit, Sleiman said any permanent solution for the Middle East conflict should necessarily be just and comprehensive, “dealing with all aspects and fields of the conflict.”
“For their part, the Arab states have taken a strategic decision when they proposed in Beirut’s 2002 [Arab] summit a comprehensive peace initiative,” he said.
“On the other hand, Israel closes on itself with its ideological stance that is based on rejection. For the occupation of Arab territories is ongoing, and the persecuted Palestinian people is still deprived of his basic rights and specifically the right of return,” said Sleiman.
The president reiterated Lebanon’s political principles, saying it was striving “to impose the implementation of all articles of [UN Security Council] Resolution 1701 under the framework of committing to related Security Council resolutions that guarantee its sovereignty and the unity of its territories.”
“At the same time, [Lebanon] seeks to unite components constituting our national capabilities facing Israeli threats and challenges,” he added, as he saluted Francophone states contributing to UNIFIL.
Sleiman said Lebanon would not accept resolving the Middle East conflict at its expense. He said the solution should not allow “the final settling of Palestinians refugees on our land contrary to their natural rights.”
At the beginning of the session, Sleiman was elected as the vice president of the summit. –The Daily Star
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