Berri: Indictment Won’t Lead to Justice, We Back Govt’s Position on STL

There are “political aspects” to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon indictment, whose release does not lead to justice, but rather to “creative chaos,” Speaker Nabih Berri said Monday.

“On behalf of the AMAL Movement which I head, I announce that we will back the government’s position on the indictment and the STL as per the text of the ministerial Policy Statement,” Berri said in a speech at a ceremony commemorating late Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.

Berri also called on the government to “restore confidence in the Lebanese Judiciary.”

“As we reiterate Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701, we repeat that Lebanon should immediately demarcate its naval borders with Israel, hand over the maps to the U.N. and deal with any breach as an attack on its sovereignty,” the house speaker went on to say.

Berri has urged the Lebanese to return to the national dialogue to overcome the critical stage that Lebanon is going through, warning that refusing dialogue will lead to a deterioration in the situation and create more division.

He told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published Monday that the dialogue must include everyone. However, he admitted that gathering all the Lebanese at one table was not an easy job, but “everything is possible.”

Asked about the topics this dialogue would address, he said that it will not only be about the national defense strategy, noting that there are other important issues.

The speaker announced that he will discuss with President Michel Suleiman the re-launching of the dialogue.

“Lebanese parties have a golden opportunity today to agree and reconcile,” Berri stressed.

He warned of the failure to heed the call for dialogue. “We desperately need unity amid the regional and international developments.”

He told the newspaper that some people think that toppling the regime in Syria will defeat the March 8 forces.

Berri noted that the new cabinet -- after receiving the parliament’s vote of confidence -- should work hard on compensating the deficiency that took place during the past period. He urged it to meet twice a week to issue decrees.

The speaker praised the way the Lebanese received the indictment of the international tribunal, especially the Sunnis and Shiites. He urged everyone to “safeguard the nation and the civil peace.”