France said Friday it was concerned by the Lebanese government's attitude towards the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
A French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Paris had noted PM Najib Mikati's promise that his Hezbollah-dominated cabinet would continue to cooperate with the court.
"We are nevertheless concerned by the formulation used to refer to the STL, which appears to cast doubt over the impartiality and the professionalism" of the court, spokesperson Bernard Valero said.
Mikati’s cabinet, which was formed in June, was granted parliament’s vote of confidence on Thursday, as the PM vowed his cabinet would cooperate with the STL.
However, Mikati's program includes an ambiguously worded clause stipulating that Lebanon will respect international resolutions as long as they do not threaten peace and stability.
On Thursday, the STL said in a statement published on its website that the indictment and accompanying arrest warrants were transmitted to the Lebanese authorities.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday said he would never hand over the four, adding that the Netherlands-based court was heading for a trial in absentia.
No comments:
Post a Comment