U.S.: Lebanon Should Meet Obligations Under International Law
The United States on Wednesday again urged Lebanon to work with the international tribunal, which says it has enough evidence to try four Hizbullah members in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
The call came after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon unsealed the indictment of the four men and said the evidence was sufficient to go to trial over the February 2005 car bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, recalling remarks made last month by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said the indictment was an "important milestone" in Lebanon's quest to put an end to political violence.
"We appreciate the work of the Special Tribunal and call on the government of Lebanon to continue to meet its obligations under international law to support the Special Tribunal," Nuland said.
"This process is a means of ending the era of impunity for the terrible and tragic violence that has touched all of Lebanon's communities."
Prosecutors had previously confirmed that they were indicting the four suspects -- all Lebanese citizens -- over the massive attack in Beirut. All remain at large.
The indictment alleges the plot's mastermind is Mustafa Badreddine, a Hizbullah commander and the suspected bomb maker who blew up the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, killing 241 Americans.
The other suspects are Salim Ayyash, also known as Abu Salim; Assad Sabra; and Hassan Oneissi, who changed his name to Hassan Issa.
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