He said the reason for that is to "protect the identity of witnesses who are to testify before the International Tribunal."Hizbullah officials discredit any accusation that is not preceded by interrogation of false witnesses.
Cabinet on Tuesday will discuss a report by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on false witnesses. The session is likely to witness heated debate over the issue.
Houri insisted that it would be unfeasible to cross-examine false witnesses prior to the indictment "because this will prevent any witness who knows anything from testifying out of fear that his testimony is published or his identity is revealed before those who committed the crime."
He said that the testimonies and documents are held by the STL, insisting that a case cannot be opened without these documents.
Houri said the Lebanese judiciary will have to request these documents from the STL and wait for a reply.
He said the debate in Cabinet will "focus on preventing taking measures against false witnesses prior to the indictment.
The debate, according to Houri, will also tackle the illegitimacy of the Justice Council to look into the false witnesses' issue.
He believed that referral of the case to the Justice Council is "illegal because the terms set in the law do not apply on false witnesses."
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