Lebanon PM transfers funds to STL

Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s prime minister, said he had transferred its share of funding to a UN-backed court probing the murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri, an issue that threatened to spark the collapse of his government.

He said the decision was in Lebanon’s interest and would protect the country from the upheavals shaking the region. (more…)

Just Another Day in Lebanon

“What a joke,” I heard someone snort at a nearby table. “As if Lebanon were truly independent…”

U.S. tells Lebanon: Fund tribunal or face ‘hash decisions’

US Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman said Friday that ‘harsh decisions’ will be made against Lebanon if it does not provide its share of funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the 2005 assassination of prime minister Rafik Hariri. (more…)

Al Liwa: STL will announce indictment between June 20 and July 5

Al Liwa newspaper quoted judicial sources   in the Hague as saying  the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), will announce the  indictment over the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri  anytime between June 20 and July 5. (more…)

Lebanon must publish the U.N.’s finding on the Hariri murder case

There is one, very effective way that the Lebanese government can thwart attempts by Hezbollah to seize control of the country and that is to publish the U.N.findings on the Hariri murder case

Special Tribunal for Lebanon registrar quits

David Tolbert, Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon resigned effective March 1, and will return to the United States to assume his new position as President of the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that he regrets that the Registrar of the United Nations-backed tribunal set up to try the perpetrators of political killings in Lebanon is stepping down, but congratulated him on his appointment as the head of an organization focusing on transitional justice.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the Secretary-General expressed his deep gratitude for the work of Mr. Tolbert, who took up his duties at the Tribunal last August.
“During Mr. Tolbert’s tenure as the Registrar, the Special Tribunal has made excellent progress, and the Registry is an efficient and fully functioning office which is ready to support the judicial activities of the Special Tribunal,” the statement said.
“His achievements include ensuring that the administrative infrastructure is in place to support future judicial activities, including key measures such as for witness protection and court management,” it added. UN
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STL president to visit Lebanon to complete Hariri probe

Justice Minster Ibrahim Najjar has revealed that Antonio Cassese, president of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon ( STL) will be visiting Lebanon in the coming weeks to complete the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
He noted in an interview with “MTV” that the Lebanese files and documents on this case have been transferred to the custody of the Tribunal after they were translated

Sayyed ready to withdraw his Syrian lawsuit

Former head of the General Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed told OTV that he is ready to withdraw the lawsuit that he filed in Damascus against Lebanese officials if either President Michel Suleiman or PM Saad Hariri invited him for talks.
His intention he said is “to preserve Lebanese-Lebanese consensus and Lebanese-Syrian rapprochement.”
Sayyed also said that he felt it would be appropriate to withdraw the lawsuit after Hariri’s visit to Damascus last month, but said people would think that he backed down under Syrian pressure
Sayyed warned Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar that he would sue him “if he continued to obstruct the Syrian judicial summons”
Sayyed along with 3 other generals were suspects in the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, but were released from jail last June for insufficient evidence

Jumblatt refused to comment on Hariri’s visit to Syria

PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt refused to comment on Lebanese PM Saad Hariri’s visit to Syria and prefers to wait until the results of trials of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon ( STL) . He said in the end he will be able to go to Syria with all the files the ” harmonious and controversial”. “The issue of the assassinations starting with the attempted assassination of Marwan Hamadah , to the assassination of ( Lebanon former PM ) Rafik Hariri are still in the hands of the STL and we are all waiting for the outcome of the Court, and we can not get ahead of ourselves on the court” he told reporters during a visit to Iqleem al Kharoub

Hariri in Syria today for first time since his Dad was assassinated

It is official. Prime minister Saad Hariri announced in a statement that he will visit Damascus on Saturday to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to Al Manar TV , Hariri is expected to arrive in Damascus at 3 pm Saturday and return to Beirut Sunday morning.
This is the first time he visits Syria since his father former PM Rafik Hariri was assassinated in 2005. Syria was accused of being behind Hariri’s murder.
Hariri was expected to visit Damascus last Sunday, but the visit was postponed due to the many questions raised by countries sponsoring the reconciliation efforts over the Syrian warrants against a number of Lebanese officials.
In Lebanon there are a lot of expectations from this visit since there are many pending issues between Lebanon and Syria that need to be resolved and quickly such as the missing Lebanese and those in Syria jails , the demarcation of the borders , the Shebaa farms issue and the smuggling of arms from Syria too Lebanon . The most recent issue is the Syrian warrants against Lebanese officials which Hariri called a “mistake”

Source: Reuters
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Update : Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in Damascus minutes after 3 PM for official talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad . He was accompanied only by his adviser Nader Hariri only . He will be meeting with president Assad at 4 Pm . President Assad is expected to host a state dinner in Hariri’s honor at 6 pm according to LBC
Update : Two planes carrying the media delegation that will accompany Prime Minister Saad Hariri during his first visit to Syria landed at Damascus airport.