July 30, 2010 - 14 March Official Site

 

Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Thursday that the joint visit of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Lebanon Friday "brings considerable stability to the country after the regional tensions."
In an interview with the pan-Arab TV network Al-Arabiya, Hariri noted that this visit comes within the framework of strengthening the initiative launched by King Abdullah during Kuwait's economic summit.

He added that "King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz launched an initiative for Arab reconciliations and he is visiting the Arab countries."

Meanwhile, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has called for guaranteeing the freedom of operations of the international tribunal without influencing its decisions.
"The international tribunal is fair and righteous," Sfeir told al-Liwaa daily in remarks published Thursday. "Lebanon needs to know the truth to achieve justice and the court should be fair."

The patriarch also said that all Christians and Muslims should overcome attempts to stir troubles between them and "launch sincere dialogue that solves their problems."

Sfeir hoped Arab leaders visiting Lebanon on Friday would succeed in their missions.

Asked about the stances of Christian opposition members, Sfeir said: "Maybe some want us to support them but this is difficult" to achieve.

Whether he would visit Syria and pray at Saint Maroun church in Aleppo, the patriarch told al-Liwaa: "We have Saint Maroun in Lebanon."

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Thursday rejected charges by Hizbullah that its work is politically motivated.
"Experience of other international tribunals has shown that the results of the work of such institutions speak for themselves and contradict the unsubstantiated allegations of hostile interference," Fatima Issawi, spokeswoman for the STL said Thursday.

"We are convinced that this will also happen in the case of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon," she added.

Asked about the anticipated indictment which has become a controversial topic in Lebanon, Issawi said: "It would be quite unhelpful to add to the existing speculations. The Office of the Prosecutor will issue an indictment when it is ready."

Answering a question on the probability of Hizbullah or the Lebanese government refusing to hand over any possible indicted suspects, Issawi stressed that the government had an obligation to respond to the tribunal's requests.

"Though we certainly hope it would not come to that, the absence of an accused will not prevent the tribunal from conducting proceedings and examining evidence against those who may be indicted," Issawi said.

"The final results of STL's work, rather than unfounded allegations or speculation, can be the only basis for assessing its effectiveness," STL's spokeswoman answered to a question on whether Hizbullah's allegations had affected the tribunal's credibility.

As to media reports about a possible funding problem STL would face soon, Issawi said: "So far there has been no indication that funding will be reduced in any way."