Mustaqbal Lashes Out at Miqati: Justice Means Commitment to Tribunal

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Samir al-Jisr snapped back at Premier-designate Najib Miqati, saying there could be no justice in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination case without Lebanese commitment to the international tribunal.

“How could we talk about justice without the court?” al-Jisr wondered in remarks published by An Nahar daily on Sunday. “Justice comes through the tribunal.”

The lawmaker made the remark in response to Miqati’s statement on Saturday that he holds onto justice and rejects making political gains out of it.

Al-Jisr also accused Miqati of not extending his hand as he claimed in Tripoli on Saturday, saying his allies, including Speaker Nabih Berri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun publicly announced their rejection to grant the March 14 forces the one-third of cabinet seats.

The prime minister-designate’s alleged policy of openness should come through providing answers to March 14 demands on the commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and finding a solution to the illegitimate arms, the MP told An Nahar.

Asked about his assessment of northern Lebanon’s affiliations, al-Jisr said: “The north’s spirit is with March 14. Everyone, including the premier-designate, knows that.”