Future bloc MP Nidal Tohme said on Thursday that Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s decision to transfer funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is “an indicator that the cabinet recognizes” the UN-backed court.
He told the Free Lebanon radio station that Mikati’s move to fund the tribunal “came out of his knowledge that [President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in] Syria, which backs the Lebanese government, needs it.”
He told the Free Lebanon radio station that Mikati’s move to fund the tribunal “came out of his knowledge that [President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in] Syria, which backs the Lebanese government, needs it.”
“Syria’s priority is to keep [Mikati’s] government, because the latter is the only one defending [Assad] in the Arab world,” the MP added in a reference to the Syrian crisis.
Last week, Mikati threatened to resign should his Hezbollah-dominated government refuse to fund the STL.
The Netherlands-based court has indicted four Hezbollah operatives in connection with the murder but they have not been handed over to the court.
The Netherlands-based court has indicted four Hezbollah operatives in connection with the murder but they have not been handed over to the court.
Lebanon is responsible for providing 49 percent of the STL's financing, which amounts to some $35 million (25.2 million euros) this year.
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