Fletcher Meets Hariri in Paris, Welcomes Imminent Start of STL Trial

British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher on Sunday held talks with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Paris, the embassy announced.

“Fletcher passed on Britain's condolences following the assassination of (ex-minister) Mohammed Shatah, a huge loss to Lebanon,” said the embassy in a statement.

The ambassador welcomed “the imminent start of the Special Tribunal (for Lebanon) trial,” added the embassy, noting that “justice was not a concept that should end at the Lebanese border.”

“Britain would commit a further £1 million to the Tribunal in support of its unique and important effort,” it said.

Fletcher also welcomed ongoing efforts to “overcome the challenges preventing the formation of a new government.”

Britain would work closely with “any government that prioritized stability, sovereignty and neutrality,” said the embassy.

The STL announced in December that the trial in the case of the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri will kick off on January 16, 2014.

In 2011, the court accused four Hizbullah members -- Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra – of being involved in the attack. A fifth Hizbullah suspect, Hassan Habib Merhi, was indicted in 2013.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has rejected the STL, describing it as an American-Israeli scheme targeted against his party. He has vowed never to cooperate with the tribunal, saying that the suspects, who remain at large, will never be found.