U.N. Request to Fund STL to be Referred to Justice Ministry

A letter sent by the U.N. to Lebanon asking it to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will be referred to the justice ministry to put the country’s financial obligations to the court in the draft state budget in cooperation with the finance ministry, An Nahar daily reported Sunday.

The newspaper said that the premiership will refer the letter to the justice ministry in accordance with the protocol signed between the Lebanese government and the STL.

Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi has already included in the 2012 draft budget allocations to pay Lebanon’s share.

Grand Serail sources stressed that the U.N. only sent one letter to Lebanon at the end of September as part of routine communications between the world body and the Lebanese government. They denied that the U.N. had made a second request.

“The Lebanese government is obliged to pay Lebanon’s share from the tribunal’s budget in accordance with the agreement signed between it and the U.N., and Security Council resolution 1757 issued under chapter 7” of the U.N. charter, an STL source told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

The source hinted that non-cooperation of Lebanese authorities would lead to a Security Council decision.

“This tribunal was established by a Security Council resolution under chapter 7. This Council will take the decision that would lead to its implementation and the continuation of the course of justice” in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination, he told the newspaper.

However, he said that unlike all media reports, the Lebanese government will go ahead with its cooperation.

A ministerial source who rejects the funding of the tribunal, told An Nahar that the cabinet has three months to discuss Lebanon’s payment of its shares.

“This and other things won’t affect the reinforced government,” he said.