U.S. Urges Miqati to Preserve Lebanon’s ‘Honor,’ Live up to its Obligations
The United States said that an "important step toward justice" has been taken with Lebanon receiving an indictment and arrest warrants for the murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri.
A high-ranking U.S. source told An Nahar newspaper on Friday that all eyes are on PM Najib Miqati who has to “preserve Lebanon’s honor during difficult times.”
“With time, the credibility of the international tribunal will prevail over Hizbullah’s rude and even funny attempts that tried to undermine the reputation of the Special Tribunal (for Lebanon),” the source said.
“But undoubtedly, Hizbullah will not be able to escape the imperative verdict. In other words, the murder of former PM Rafik Hariri and his companions will linger over the head of Hizbullah and its accomplices forever.”
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a U.N.-backed court in The Hague that has been probing Hariri's 2005 murder, submitted earlier on Thursday a sealed indictment and arrest warrants to Lebanon's Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza. Reports said the warrants include the names of four Hizbullah members.
"We've not actually seen the documents that were reportedly handed over to the Lebanese government by the Special Tribunal (...for) Lebanon, and so we can't comment at this point on their substance," U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.
"But the confirmation of the indictments by the pre-trial judge and their delivery by the tribunal to the Lebanese prosecutor general is an important step towards justice and ending impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon," Toner said.
“I’m commenting more on the process now, but of course, as this process moves forward, we’ll obviously have comment on the substance,” he added.
Toner said in his briefing that the Lebanese government should “live up to its international obligations.”
“We want to see this chapter in Lebanon’s history closed,” he added.
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