Safadi Urges Miqati to 'Exceptionally' Approve Funding of STL in Installments
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Caretaker Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi called on Saturday on caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati to “exceptionally” approve the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon despite the resignation of the cabinet.
According to the state-run National News Agency, al-Safadi sent a letter to Miqati urging him to “exceptionally approve the payment of Lebanon's share to fund the STL for 2013 in three installments.”
Miqati said in May that his cabinet cannot pay Lebanon's share of the STL funding.
“The caretaker cabinet cannot be responsible for the matter as it falls under current expenditure,” Miqati explained at the time, implying that the succeeding cabinet should deal with the matter.
Lebanon is obligated to pay around $33 million, which is 49 percent of the STL's budget.
Earlier on Saturday, a source close to the Tribunal said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper that Lebanon's failure to provide the STL with its share of the funding of the tribunal for 2013 will tarnish its image internationally and will constitute further burden on the country.
According to the source, Lebanese officials pledged to pay the country's percentage after the cabinet is formed as the resigned government lacks the mechanism to carry out the matter.
The source didn't rule out that the resignation of Miqati's cabinet was linked to the funding of the STL.
The source said that the STL could as the United Nations Security Council to pressure Lebanon to pay its shares.
If Lebanon failed to pay the funds on time then the U.N. could pay from its allocations until the new government is formed.
“Lebanon will commit to its obligations and pay its shares,” the source added.
The tribunal was formed in 2009 to investigate the suicide attack that killed Hariri and 22 others in Beirut in February 2005.
05 October 2013, 09:39
25
I am tired of this STL thing that is dragging on and on, that is costing us money, that is creating endless conflict.
ENOUGH! FHIMNA! The Assadists together with Hizb Iran milicia killed Rafic and his companions.
We know that Assadists and Hezb Iran are bullying us, and killing those who want a sovereign Lebanon. We dont need to keep hundreds of of legal professionals from all over the world on our payroll to tell us this.
05 October 2013, 10:02
62
In fact lebanon first u think it is syria that stood behind the assassinations (that's my umble opignion to) but what we think is not important justice is important, even after years but they should be dragged in front of justice and hv a fair trial (and yes sorry again but i think that international justice is less spoiled and corrupted and less under pressure and influenced than ours now; nothing is working in lebanon just look at democratieh tawefokiyeh what a crap, if they should all agree on something to be applyed how would justice be applied?..)
And maybe not for hariri, assir, hawi, jmayel, tueini.... But so that it doesnot become a regular thing to assassinate oponents and move on (after hariri assassination we had to stay on the streets just for berri to open a special session of the parlement, they just wanted to act like nothing happened... And some of us forgot that..)
I know our stituation and problems got worse since but the Justice is a good thing and must go on)
05 October 2013, 10:11
13
Man. You said the word "drag to justice". Are you dreaming? Assad killed more than 100,000 of his people and he got away with it. 100,000 people later, he gets a sweet chemical arms deal to save darling Israel, and he still isnt "dragged to justice".
He wont be dragged to justice by the STL. He will have his judgment before God.
05 October 2013, 10:12
22
@lebanon_first
I empathize with your comment and sentiment but Lebanon needs closure in this regard. The truth needs to come and justice needs to be served and the culprits need to be made to pay for their heinous deeds. Otherwise, they are bound to repeat their murderous ways with impunity. We in Lebanon are in desperate need to forever abolish and bury the practice of physical elimination of political opponents from our political discourse.
05 October 2013, 10:26
70
lebanon_first is correct, STL has become a waist of effort and money nothing will come of it. Besides the Glorious cheerleaders insist the Israelis are responsible for every car bomb, assassination and elevator tampering that has ever taken place in Lebanon. Hizbullah and the Assad's (who are the same creature) would never do such things.
05 October 2013, 10:46
20
@general_puppet
That's exactly what HA and Assad are counting on. In time they believe we will tire and loose interest and they will get away with it. Remember how long it took to get Slobodan Milosovich? They finally got him and that's what counts. Don't despair the wheels of justice grind slow but they do grind and in the end one has to have faith that we will get justice.
05 October 2013, 15:56
10
Lebanon first
Justice must be pursued at what ever cost and effort. It is only if justice we seek justice with all our will that we can achieve a better future. What is really sad is that we are only seeking justice for Hariri murder where as as a nation we should seek justice for the murdering of the different leaders and journalist that were killed one after the other.
05 October 2013, 10:02
61
As for the price, well it was arround 50 milion dol per year , i think it is not that much we do roads at an exirbitant price just to dig them again bc we forgot to put cables in it and again because we "forgot" to put the sewer and that goes with everything that we do...
And last all those working in it, well that's there job (it is still more fruitfull than staying in lebanon doing stupid television speeches that leads to nowhere...)
Anyway, again might be wrong...
05 October 2013, 20:54
00
Imagine-1979. You words are pure gold my friend. If what you are saying is wrong then I don't want to be right. The world needs to know! they need to understand that world will know without a doubt that they murderrors, terrorists to be exact! And that depiction of them will be in history books for centuries to come.
