Daily Star - US stresses debate over tribunal should not turn violent - September 27, 2010

BEIRUT: The United States has urged Lebanon not to be dragged into violence by debate raging over the probe into the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, also reiterated his country’s unequivocal support for the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in the wake of verbal sparring among Lebanese politicians, debating the role of the court.

“There has been a rise in tensions over the past few weeks in Lebanon, without question. And we think that it’s in the interest of all of the many friends of Lebanon in the region and internationally to do what they can do to help reduce the tensions,” Feltman told reporters in a Friday news briefing.

He added that Lebanon’s fate would be decided only through domestic action.

“In our conversations with Saudi Arabia and others in the region, we emphasized the point out that the Lebanese need to be in charge of Lebanon, that Lebanon’s sovereignty, Lebanon’s independence need to be respected. And we believe that Saudi Arabia understands the need to be creating the right regional context in which the Lebanese themselves can make decisions for Lebanon,” Feltman said.

The STL has been the fulcrum of fierce debate in recent weeks, with rival politicians exchanging threats and allegations following comments made by Prime Minister Saad Hariri – who suggested Syria was wrongly implicated in the death of his father – and former General Jamil al-Sayyed – who accused the younger Hariri of fabricating false witnesses for the court.

Feltman stressed US commitment to the probe along with its determination to see Hariri’s assassins brought to justice.

“Let me just make it clear that the United States supports the Special Tribunal for Lebanon … created at the request of the Lebanese government,” he said. “The STL should not be politicized. We do not know what the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is investigating. We do not know when it will come up with any sorts of announcements. It’s a professional tribunal that has the support of two recent cabinets in Lebanon, the current cabinet and previous cabinet, as well as the international body. We’re not part of the court.

“We’re convinced that for any society it’s important not to have impunity for murder, that the tribunal is not a political body; the tribunal is about justice and truth. And I think that’s why the Lebanese supported it when they asked the international community to help create it: the need for justice and truth. And we believe that there’s still support for that,” Feltman added.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured President Michel Sleiman on Friday that Washington would continue to provide Lebanon with military assistance in spite of fears in Congress that any military funding may end up in Hizbullah’s hands and aimed at Israel.

Feltman also said that the issue of the exact make-up of United States military funding to Lebanon – which has exceeded $600 million since 2006 – were still being debated.

“We’re in consultation with Congress. We ourselves have reviewed what we have done over the past five years in terms of our assistance to Lebanon. But the secretary of state assured the president that we remain committed to supporting Lebanon’s state institutions,” he said.