Miqati Hints He May Quit: Mustaqbal Rally May Not Be Innocent
Prime Minister Najib Miqati hinted Thursday that he might step down if his government failed to pay its 49 percent annual share of funds to the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is probing the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri.
“I will take a (proper) stance should the government fail to finance the STL but I hope things will not reach the extent of submitting my resignation,” Miqati said in an interview on LBC television.
“STL President David Baragwanath told me that we should pay the STL funds in December at the latest,” the PM said.
“Lebanon is committed to the international resolutions and I have committed myself to secure the funding in a constitutional manner and I have informed the parties concerned of that, including Speaker (Nabih) Berri,” Miqati noted.
Clarifying his stance on the U.N.-backed tribunal, Miqati added: “Is it conceivable that a prime minister would disregard any process aimed at fulfilling justice and unveiling the truth about the assassination of a former premier? Of course not. I urged all the ministers yesterday to shoulder their responsibilities.”
Listing the possible benefits from paying Lebanon’s share of funds to the STL, Miqati said: “Should Lebanon finance the STL, it would be honoring its obligations and preserving its image before the international community as well as its exclusive (maritime) economic zone.”
“We would be opening the doors for cooperation with the Western nations and we would be committing to justice, which is the most important thing. We would have stability and we would be protecting the Resistance, because the Resistance would be strong if Lebanon is strong and vice versa,” the premier went on to say.
As to Hizbullah’s stance on the issue, Miqati said he was not expecting Hizbullah to voice its support for the funding of the tribunal.
“But I’m expecting the ministers to show the required patriotism,” he added.
“I won’t accept, during my term of office, that Lebanon be a pariah in the international community or that it disavow its obligations. When the issue becomes to fund or not to fund, at that point Lebanon should be protected and I advise the ministers and the political blocs to tackle the issue in a serious manner,” Miqati urged his partners in the government.
“Let them consider funding as an insurance policy to protect Lebanon from the approaching winds,” he said.
Asked about the rally that will be held Sunday in the northern city of Tripoli by the Mustaqbal Movement under the banner of Independence Day, Miqati, a Tripoli native himself, said “everyone is welcome in Tripoli, which is for everyone and tolerates everyone.”
As the premier stressed that his political rivals had the right to organize a popular rally in Tripoli, he warned that the event might have malicious objectives, charging that the Mustaqbal Movement’s “philosophy” was based on rejecting the other.
“I respect all opinions, but my position is clear and no one can question my patriotism. I’m not betraying my country or sect and the Sunni sect is one of Lebanon’s pillars and it is the only guarantee for this country,” Miqati added.
On whether the rally would become an occasion to demand his ouster, Miqati said: “My conscience is clear and what I’m doing serves Lebanon’s interest and I’m convinced with it. I would only resign if Lebanon’s interest required that.”
Asked about his future electoral alliances in Tripoli light of the current rivalry with the Mustaqbal Movement, with which he had allied in the 2009 parliamentary elections, Miqati said: “It is too early to talk about that and enough with using Tripoli as a mailbox and I don’t accept that Tripoli be an arena for any conflict. I will fight for Tripoli till the end but I will not fight in Tripoli, because it should remain neutral.”
On the issue of Lebanon’s recent vote at the Arab League concerning the Syrian crisis, which has stirred controversy in the country after Lebanon voted against a resolution to suspend Syria, Miqati said: “There are certain standards that must be taken into consideration concerning our vote at the Arab League. We cannot engage in an adventure.”
“Lebanon’s policy is based on disassociating itself from everything happening in Syria. Lebanon is against isolating any Arab state and our vote was aimed at rejecting the suspension of Syria’s membership in the Arab League, but we support anything related to halting the bloodshed,” he explained.
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