BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad has reportedly told Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah during a recent meeting that Syria is not opposed to funding for a U.N.-backed tribunal probing the assassination of statesman Rafik Hariri.
A report carried by Al-Akhbar newspaper Thursday said Assad met Nasrallah in Damascus less than 10 days ago and the two sides discussed regional issues, including the position of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition over funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
“The two men, however, had a different approach to the STL funding issue,” Al-Akhbar wrote.
It said Assad told Nasrallah he did not object to STL funding and expressed concerns over the continuity of the government and the need not to destabilize it, and to prioritize the protection of the resistance in the face of global challenges.
Nasrallah, however, restated his rejection of the funding, telling Assad it was a matter of principle for the resistance.
Assad’s remarks over the funding were not new, Al-Akhbar said.
According to the newspaper, the leader made similar remarks during an Oct. 8 meeting in Damascus, when he told a senior visiting Lebanese official that he supports STL funding.
Assad at the time hinted that he was going to try to make Hezbollah change its mind and support the funding.
“But Nasrallah’s visit to Damascus reflected Hezbollah’s deep-rooted commitment toward objection to finance the STL,” Al-Akhbar said
The paper quoted Assad as telling Nasrallah in the latest visit that he would not delve into the STL issue any further, saying it was an internal Lebanese affair and that he would leave it up to Hezbollah and its allies to “take the appropriate decision that is in the best interest of the resistance.”
When contacted by The Daily Star, Hezbollah’s press office would neither confirm nor deny the report.
A report carried by Al-Akhbar newspaper Thursday said Assad met Nasrallah in Damascus less than 10 days ago and the two sides discussed regional issues, including the position of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition over funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
“The two men, however, had a different approach to the STL funding issue,” Al-Akhbar wrote.
It said Assad told Nasrallah he did not object to STL funding and expressed concerns over the continuity of the government and the need not to destabilize it, and to prioritize the protection of the resistance in the face of global challenges.
Nasrallah, however, restated his rejection of the funding, telling Assad it was a matter of principle for the resistance.
Assad’s remarks over the funding were not new, Al-Akhbar said.
According to the newspaper, the leader made similar remarks during an Oct. 8 meeting in Damascus, when he told a senior visiting Lebanese official that he supports STL funding.
Assad at the time hinted that he was going to try to make Hezbollah change its mind and support the funding.
“But Nasrallah’s visit to Damascus reflected Hezbollah’s deep-rooted commitment toward objection to finance the STL,” Al-Akhbar said
The paper quoted Assad as telling Nasrallah in the latest visit that he would not delve into the STL issue any further, saying it was an internal Lebanese affair and that he would leave it up to Hezbollah and its allies to “take the appropriate decision that is in the best interest of the resistance.”
When contacted by The Daily Star, Hezbollah’s press office would neither confirm nor deny the report.
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