July 4, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Mouawad says anti-UNIFIL protests aim to obstruct STL

Independence Movement leader Michel Mouawad said the recent anti-UNIFIL protests in the South are an attack on UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and an attempt to suspend the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

On Saturday, civilians mobbed and disarmed a UNIFIL patrol just north of the village of Kabrikha.

Tensions have been high in the area since peacekeeping forces launched maneuvers last Monday, which incited huge protests. A French peacekeeper was reportedly injured in a stoning attack.

Mouawad said it is “another project trying to isolate us from international legitimacy.” UNIFIL did not seek any confrontation with the residents, he added.

“The campaign being organized against the international tribunal is an attempt to isolate Lebanon from international justice,” Mouawad said, adding that “as long as political crime is legitimate in Lebanon and not held accountable, we cannot build a true democratic system.”