Miqati Proposes to Suleiman, Berri STL Clause as March 14 Warns against Ambiguous Wording
Premier Najib Miqati has informed President Michel Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri about his vision on the clause of the international tribunal in the cabinet draft policy statement, informed sources said Saturday.
While the sources refused to give details on Miqati’s proposed formula, they told al-Joumhouria daily that the prime minister asked both Suleiman and Berri to study his proposal and give him their remarks.
Other sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that Miqati presented to the two officials several options on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon clause. But they said that the consultations didn’t lead to an agreement on a clause acceptable by all sides.
The sources stressed that Miqati, Suleiman and MP Walid Jumblat, who form the centrist bloc in the government, are rejecting demands by Hizbullah to ignore the clause.
The 12-member committee tasked with drafting the policy statement is scheduled to hold another meeting on Monday. But the STL clause will most probably not be discussed given that it hasn’t yet received the approval of the major parties forming the cabinet.
March 14-led opposition sources warned that ambiguous wording in the tribunal clause “would not only put the government outside the international legitimacy but the Lebanese legitimacy as well.”
They told al-Joumhouria that the clause should take into consideration the demands of the majority of Lebanese.
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