Daily Star - Mikati denies reports of resignation if STL dues not paid, November 18th 2011

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati denied Thursday reports claiming he would resign if Lebanon failed to pay its share of funding toward the controversial Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

“This report is inaccurate and the brief encounter which brought together the prime minister and MP [Robert] Ghanem ... only dealt with possible amendments to the draft law for the parliamentary electoral law,” a statement from Mikati’s office said.

The statement was in a response to a report in the local Al-Liwaa newspaper published Thursday.

Al-Liwaa quoted a parliamentary source as saying that Mikati, during an honorary dinner hosted by the prime minister at the Grand Serail, had informed Ghanem that “his resignation would be ready if his allies in the government are not convinced, especially Hezbollah, the Amal [movement]and [MP Michel] Aoun’s [Free Patriotic] Movement, of the necessity of funding the tribunal.”

The source added that paying Lebanon’s $32-million share toward the U.N.-backed court’s budget was a commitment shared by Progressive Socialist Party lawmakers and politicians affiliated with President Michel Sleiman.

“[These lawmakers] believe that given the current turmoil gripping the region Lebanon cannot tolerate any measures or international sanctions if the court is not funded,” the source told the local newspaper.

Various media reports have indicated that Mikati is likely to resign should Lebanon fail to abide by its commitments toward international resolutions, particularly those relating to the STL, which in late June indicted four members of Hezbollah in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hezbollah and its allies in the March 8 coalition, who enjoy a majority in Mikati’s Cabinet, have outright rejected funding the court, arguing that the tribunal lacks credibility and serves as a means to target the resistance group.

In an interview with The Daily Star on Nov. 10, Mikati said he was looking for the best approach to ensure Lebanon fund its share toward the STL, ruling out the possibility of sanctions against Lebanon if the country failed to pay its international dues.

“[The] Prime Minister’s stance toward the international tribunal is known and public and he is following up on means to finalize the issue of Lebanon’s share of the funding which would lead to the appropriate decision to be taken,” Mikati’s office said in the statement Thursday.

Foreign diplomats have repeatedly stressed the need for Lebanon to fund the court, which was established in 2007 via U.N. Security Council Resolution 1757 under Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter.

Western diplomats have also warned of possible international actions should it fail to meet its obligations toward the court.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman warned last month that U.S.-Lebanese ties would suffer “harsh consequences” in the event Lebanon failed to pay.

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