Report: Hizbullah Rejects Renewal of STL Protocol but Miqati Stresses Limited Lebanese Role

Hizbullah has informed Premier Najib Miqati that it rejects the renewal of the cooperation protocol signed between the Lebanese government and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon but the PM stressed that Beirut has a limited role in this matter, a Lebanese official said.

The official, who was not identified, told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published Sunday that the Hizbullah stance was made during a meeting between Miqati and the party’s chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah before the holidays “because it believes that the cooperation protocol contradicts in some of its articles with (Lebanon’s) sovereignty.”

But Miqati informed the party that the Lebanese government had no role in the renewal process that begins on March 1, the official said, adding that Security Council resolution 1757 clearly states that U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon would only “consult” the cabinet on the issue.

“This means that he has the exclusive authority in this regard and the stance of the government is only consultative,” the source told al-Hayat.

The official also stressed that any Lebanese role in the renewal of the protocol is limited given that it would face the veto power at the Security Council.

Article 21 of resolution 1757 states the following: “Three years after the commencement of the functioning of the Special Tribunal the Parties shall, in consultation with the Security Council, review the progress of the work of the Special Tribunal. If at the end of this period of three years the activities of the Tribunal have not been completed, the Agreement shall be extended to allow the Tribunal to complete its work, for a further period(s) to be determined by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Government and the Security Council.”

In response to Hizbullah’s stance, Miqati asked the party to substitute its request for the non-renewal or the amendment of the protocol with meeting the request of the STL, the official told al-Hayat.

Four Hizbullah members - Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra – have been indicted by the STL in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination.

So far however, Beirut has failed to arrest them.