U.N. Chief is ‘Sure’ Lebanon Will Continue to Respect Commitments to STL

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said Friday he had no doubt that the Lebanese government would continue to respect its obligations towards the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

In an interview published in An Nahar newspaper, Ban said: “I am very glad that the Lebanese government decided to transfer the 49 percent of funds to the STL.”

“I appreciate the personal efforts of Premier Najib Miqati in this regard,” he said in response to a question about Lebanon’s payment of its $32 million share to the tribunal budget in November.

Ban also lauded Miqati for stressing Lebanon’s commitment to its international obligations. “I am sure that the government will continue to respect these commitments and cooperate with the Special Tribunal.”

Asked about the controversial renewal of the protocol singed between the Lebanese government and the STL, the U.N. chief said: “In accordance with the agreement between the U.N. and Lebanon, the mandate of the Special Tribunal will be extended if its work hasn’t been completed by March 2012.”

“I take this decision alone in consultation with the Security Council and the Lebanese government,” Ban stressed to An Nahar, saying “I am in the process of making the necessary consultations and I intend to reach a decision soon on the extension period.”

Article 21 of Security Council Resolution 1757 states the following: “Three years after the commencement of the functioning of the Special Tribunal the Parties shall, in consultation with the Security Council, review the progress of the work of the Special Tribunal. If at the end of this period of three years the activities of the Tribunal have not been completed, the Agreement shall be extended to allow the Tribunal to complete its work, for a further period(s) to be determined by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Government and the Security Council.”

Media reports have said that Hizbullah has informed Miqati about its rejection to renew the cooperation protocol signed between the Lebanese government and the STL.

Four Hizbullah members - Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra – have been indicted by the tribunal in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination.

So far however, Beirut has failed to arrest them.

STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has announced that for health reasons, he wouldn’t seek reappointment for a second term at the end of February.

Ban hoped that Bellemare would recuperate and said the prosecutor had helped put the foundation for the court’s work in its efforts to find the truth in Hariri’s murder.

He said he was seeking to find a new prosecutor by the start of March in accordance with the protocol signed between the STL and Lebanon.

Ban also urged Lebanon to take the necessary measures to protect itself from terrorism and expected the resumption of the National Dialogue to resolve the dispute on “illegitimate arms.”

He said: “Unfortunately, a lot of countries in the world are facing the threat of international terrorism.”

“Lebanon should take measures to protect itself from this threat,” he said in response to a question about complaints by the Assad regime that arms are being smuggled into Syria from Lebanon.

“The Lebanese army and security agencies have done a very good job in preserving security,” the U.N. secretary general said, reiterating his call for the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border.

A controversy erupted in Lebanon last month when Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said al-Qaida agents were entering the eastern border town of Arsal under the guise of Syrian opposition activists. Syria has also accused the terror network of carrying out bombings in Damascus.

Lebanese officials “are doing the best they can to contain the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon,” he told the newspaper.

“The U.N. is keen on Lebanon’s security and stability,” Ban said.

The secretary general also held Syrian President Bashar Assad fully responsible for the protection of the people and upholding their rights. But Ban lamented that Assad “hasn’t yet fulfilled his promises” to stop the deadly crackdown on protestors.

He told An Nahar that he expected the Lebanese government to resolve the problem of “illegitimate weapons,” in reference to the arms of Hizbullah and Palestinian groups.

No state can be successful if it doesn’t have full control on the use of force, he said, adding that he expected the resumption of the all-party talks at Baabda palace to “develop and implement a national defense strategy that deals with the issue of arms outside the control of the state.”

“This cannot happen overnight but steps need to be taken to move the process forward,” he added.

Ban asked Israel to step its violations of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701and said he helped UNIFIL establish a new strategic environment in the South which would provide a window of opportunity for the permanent establishment of ceasefire along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

He hoped that Lebanese authorities would find the culprits behind the bombings that targeted UNIFIL lately and would “bring them to justice as soon as possible.”