Reports: Miqati Met with STL Delegation

A delegation from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon held talks with Premier Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail on Monday, media reports said.

MTV said the delegation most probably discussed with Miqati the funding of the court. However, there was no information about the delegation or the nature of the meeting.

The talks came the same day As Safir daily reported that STL Registrar Herman von Hebel is visiting Lebanon along with an attorney and a French security officer.

The newspaper said that the three individuals arrived in Beirut from Paris on Friday night. It was not clear whether Miqati met with the same delegation.

Meanwhile, highly-informed March 8 sources told As Safir that there was no justification to anticipate how the government will deal with the funding of the STL.

Their comment came after Miqati said in an interview with pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Friday that Lebanon's interest lies in financing the STL, and the government will act in Lebanon's best interests.

The parliamentary majority still has around one month to take the appropriate decision on the funding, the sources said.

According to the tribunal's 2007 founding text, Lebanon is responsible for 49 percent of the court's finances.

Beirut however has not yet paid its share for the year 2011 and in 2010 transferred the funds without government approval.