Now Lebanon - Sleiman says Lebanon committed to funding STL , October 4, 2011

President Michel Sleiman said in an interview published on Tuesday that Lebanon is committed to funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), but there have been some negative statements surrounding this matter.“[I hope that] the STL funding will be approved because Lebanon is committed to it, but this does not [cancel] the fact that some [negative statements have been issued] regarding the tribunal’s [work],” he told As-Sharq newspaper.“The UN-backed tribunal’s funding should be [discussed] calmly and ‘without noise’,” Sleiman 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 funding the tribunal that has indicted four Hezbollah members for the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Lebanon contributes 49 percent of the STL’s annual funding.

The president also addressed the drafting of a new electoral law.

“We should not keep the current electoral law because it did not accomplish its constitutional [purpose],” he added.

“[I support] the law of proportional representation as well as the ones proposed by [former Interior Minister] Ziad Baroud and by [former Minister] Fouad Boutros. I also support the electoral law that is being prepared by [Interior Minister] Marwan Charbel,” Sleiman said.

Lebanese parties are debating over the electoral law for the upcoming 2013 parliamentary elections. After the parliament agreed on drafting a law based on proportional representation, some parties rejected the proposed law and called for adopting the 2009 electoral law, which is based on simple majority representation.

The draft electoral law proposed by the Orthodox committee states that Lebanese citizens should vote for candidates from their own sect under a system based on proportional representation.

Sleiman added that the situation in Syria is moving toward democracy, and said he hopes that this will happen in the less possible cost.

According to the United Nations, the Syrian regime's crackdown on protests that erupted in mid-March has killed more than 2,700 people.