Change and Reform bloc MP Ziad Aswad said on Monday that his bloc is against paying Lebanon’s share to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and added that the bloc will “leave it to the cabinet to make a decision on the matter.”
“[If we are to choose] between the cabinet and [paying Lebanon’s share] of funding [to the STL], we will definitely choose the cabinet. Prime Minister [Najib Mikati] will choose [paying Lebanon’s share] to fund [the STL],” the MP told the Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio station.
“It is not a big [deal] or a strange [thing] if a cabinet in Lebanon collapses,” Aswad added.
The Hezbollah-led March 8 parties – which currently dominate Lebanon’s cabinet – have opposed a clause in the Lebanese annual state budget pertaining to the funding of the tribunal, while Mikati has repeatedly voiced Lebanon’s commitment to the STL.
Four Hezbollah members have been indicted by the UN-backed court, which is investigating the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. However, the Shia group strongly denied the charges and refuses to cooperate with the court.
Lebanon contributes 49 percent of the STL’s annual funding.
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