‘It’s Either White or Black,’ Hizbullah and FPM Tell Miqati About STL Clause
The bickering between Premier Najib Miqati and the Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition that left the country in a political vacuum for months until the government was formed on June 13 is now threatening to delay the adoption of the policy statement.
Al-Liwaa daily said Tuesday that the representatives of Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement in the 12-member committee drafting the policy statement informed Miqati that they don’t accept a blurred clause on the controversial international tribunal.
During the committee’s fifth meeting on Monday, Hizbullah’s Mohammed Fneish backed by FPM’s Jebran Bassil told Miqati: “We don’t accept a blurred clause on the tribunal. We want a clause that is either white or black.”
The “firmness” in their statement led Miqati to cut the meeting short and leave the conference room at the Grand Serail, al-Liwaa said.
Hizbullah and its March 8 allies have called for an end to Lebanon’s cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, but Miqati is seeking to adopt a clause that appeases the international community which has repeatedly urged him to keep Lebanon committed to international resolutions.
Fneish told As Safir that Hizbullah’s stance from the court is clear. “When we receive a proposal on a clause in the policy statement, we would discuss it and see how much it is in harmony with the party’s stance,” he said.
But the new dispute between Miqati and the Hizbullah-led alliance began to remind the Lebanese of the government formation crisis that lasted for around 5 months, ministerial sources told An Nahar newspaper.
The sources said that the members of the committee are discussing all clauses of the policy statement except for the tribunal clause. They ruled out its discussion during the committee’s meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas told As Safir that the conferees would make their final reading of the economic clauses, particularly the amendments made on the issue of infrastructure and services.
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