Gemayel: Judicial Course in The Hague to Enhance Stability in Lebanon
Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Sunday noted that the verdicts that will be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon against the killers of former premier Rafik Hariri and his companions would “enhance stability” in Lebanon.
“Justice is the normal gate to stability, peace, national unity and partnership,” Gemayel said during a meeting with a delegation from the Beirut and Tripoli bar associations.
“The judicial course (of the STL) in The Hague will lead to enhancing stability after the verdicts are issued,” Gemayel added.
Gemayel, whose son Pierre was murdered in 2006 while serving as industry minister, said he was counting on the STL to achieve justice for assassination victims in Lebanon.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to achieve justice through the Lebanese judiciary for the known reasons,” he added.
Pierre Gemayel's assassination is not covered by the STL's mandate, which involves Hariri's murder and other attacks that occurred in Lebanon between October 1, 2004 and December 12, 2005.
"The trial ... will reflect positively on national unity and the constitutional institutions, starting by the cabinet, the parliament and the presidential election, which will happen within its constitutional timeframe, in addition to restoring the Constitutional Council's role and the rest of institutions,” added Gemayel.
The STL announced in December that the trial in the case of the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Hariri will kick off on January 16, 2014 in The Hague.
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.
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