 |
| PM Najib Mikati - Archibe |
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati hinted Sunday that his government will pay its $32 million share of funds to a divisive U.N.-backed court, adding that he wishes Hezbollah would appoint lawyers to defend four of its members who are suspected of plotting the assassination of statesman Rafik Hariri.
Mikati urged the Lebanese to stay away from Syria’s domestic troubles, saying Lebanon as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council will not take any decisions against Syria.
“Lebanon is a founding member of the United Nations and we will not be selective in implementing international resolutions; I will not give Israel a pretext to sack [Lebanon] from the international community or to impose sanctions [on Lebanon],” Mikati told Al-Jadeed television station when asked about his government’s stance on funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
Many fear that the Mikati government, which is dominated by Hezbollah and its allies, will refrain from paying its dues to the U.N.-backed STL, which has implicated four members of the party in the 2005 Hariri assassination.
Mikati said his government was mulling several scenarios related to the funding of the court but refused to elaborate on those. “I will not talk about solutions now, because I want the government efforts to succeed,” he said.
Mikati argued that international resolutions that prove to be harmful to Lebanon can be “altered or scrapped” through diplomatic contacts. “But as long as an international resolution is still operational, Lebanon is committed to implement it,” he added.
The prime minister said he was convinced of Hezbollah’s innocence and hoped that Hezbollah would assign lawyers to defend members who were named in the first round of indictments issued by the Netherlands-based STL.
Tackling the six-month-old unrest in Syria, Mikati said his government’s policy was to keep Lebanon at bay from the negative repercussions caused by events witnessed in the Arab world, stressing that Lebanon will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria.
“We wish for the Syrian people what they wish for themselves,” he said, adding that the turmoil in Syria will be extensively tackled at the U.N. Security Council, which Lebanon will head during the month of September.
“Our decision is very clear: we will not take any decisions against Syria,” Mikati said.
The prime minister also said that both the international community and Syria understood the “peculiar” nature of the relationship between Lebanon and its neighbor.
In the wide-ranging interview, Mikati hinted that there will be an increase in taxes in the next budget, but that this will not affect low income classes and also promised more social provisions.
The prime minister added that he supported proportional representation as an electoral system, arguing that it guarantees maximum representation.
“We are now waiting for the interior minister to submit a draft electoral law, which will be examined by a ministerial committee,” he added.
Mikati urged the Lebanese to stay away from Syria’s domestic troubles, saying Lebanon as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council will not take any decisions against Syria.
“Lebanon is a founding member of the United Nations and we will not be selective in implementing international resolutions; I will not give Israel a pretext to sack [Lebanon] from the international community or to impose sanctions [on Lebanon],” Mikati told Al-Jadeed television station when asked about his government’s stance on funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
Many fear that the Mikati government, which is dominated by Hezbollah and its allies, will refrain from paying its dues to the U.N.-backed STL, which has implicated four members of the party in the 2005 Hariri assassination.
Mikati said his government was mulling several scenarios related to the funding of the court but refused to elaborate on those. “I will not talk about solutions now, because I want the government efforts to succeed,” he said.
Mikati argued that international resolutions that prove to be harmful to Lebanon can be “altered or scrapped” through diplomatic contacts. “But as long as an international resolution is still operational, Lebanon is committed to implement it,” he added.
The prime minister said he was convinced of Hezbollah’s innocence and hoped that Hezbollah would assign lawyers to defend members who were named in the first round of indictments issued by the Netherlands-based STL.
Tackling the six-month-old unrest in Syria, Mikati said his government’s policy was to keep Lebanon at bay from the negative repercussions caused by events witnessed in the Arab world, stressing that Lebanon will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria.
“We wish for the Syrian people what they wish for themselves,” he said, adding that the turmoil in Syria will be extensively tackled at the U.N. Security Council, which Lebanon will head during the month of September.
“Our decision is very clear: we will not take any decisions against Syria,” Mikati said.
The prime minister also said that both the international community and Syria understood the “peculiar” nature of the relationship between Lebanon and its neighbor.
In the wide-ranging interview, Mikati hinted that there will be an increase in taxes in the next budget, but that this will not affect low income classes and also promised more social provisions.
The prime minister added that he supported proportional representation as an electoral system, arguing that it guarantees maximum representation.
“We are now waiting for the interior minister to submit a draft electoral law, which will be examined by a ministerial committee,” he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment