A
letter sent by the U.N. to Lebanon asking it to fund the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon will be referred to the justice ministry to put
the country’s financial obligations to the court in the draft state
budget in cooperation with the finance ministry, An Nahar daily
reported Sunday.
The newspaper said that the premiership will refer the letter to the
justice ministry in accordance with the protocol signed between the
Lebanese government and the STL.
Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi has already included in the 2012 draft budget allocations to pay Lebanon’s share.
Grand Serail sources stressed that the U.N. only sent one letter to
Lebanon at the end of September as part of routine communications
between the world body and the Lebanese government. They denied that
the U.N. had made a second request.
“The Lebanese government is obliged to pay Lebanon’s share from the
tribunal’s budget in accordance with the agreement signed between it
and the U.N., and Security Council resolution 1757 issued under chapter
7” of the U.N. charter, an STL source told pan-Arab daily Asharq
al-Awsat.
The source hinted that non-cooperation of Lebanese authorities would lead to a Security Council decision.
“This tribunal was established by a Security Council resolution
under chapter 7. This Council will take the decision that would lead to
its implementation and the continuation of the course of justice” in
ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination, he told the
newspaper.
However, he said that unlike all media reports, the Lebanese government will go ahead with its cooperation.
A ministerial source who rejects the funding of the tribunal, told
An Nahar that the cabinet has three months to discuss Lebanon’s payment
of its shares.
“This and other things won’t affect the reinforced government,” he said.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/16996-u-n-request-to-fund-stl-to-be-referred-to-justice-ministry
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