Mustaqbal: Only STL Can Fulfill Justice, Hizbullah Arms Have Proved to be Illegitimate

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday stressed that Hizbullah’s arsenal of weapons “has proved, on more than one occasion, to be illegitimate and pointed at the chests of the Lebanese.”

In a statement issued after its weekly meeting in Qureitem under ex-PM Fouad Saniora, the bloc added that the Shiite party’s arms have become a means to “influence citizens’ political opinions.”

“They are also being employed in regional conflicts and disputes,” Mustaqbal said.

The bloc stressed its “constitutional right to opposition and the practice of democracy in the face of attempts aimed at terrorization, intimidation and distortion of facts,” reiterating its warning against “resorting to unilateral or vengeful behaviors.”

Mustaqbal MPs underlined that they “will not be lenient in defending democracy, freedom of opinion and the rights of the Lebanese in the face of any attempt aimed at power monopolization, hegemony or obstruction of justice.”

The bloc stressed that the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the 2005 murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri was “the only relevant side entitled to work on unveiling the truth and fulfilling justice.”

It reiterated that “the tribunal is not meant for vengeance or reprisal, but rather for achieving justice.”

On Sunday, the March 14 forces officially announced their refusal to take part in the country's new government.

The March 14 forces "reject to legitimize the coup … and reject to turn into observers who cannot prevent violations," the coalition said in a statement recited by Saniora after an extraordinary meeting for its 60 MPs at the Bristol Hotel in Beirut.

On January 12, Hizbullah and its allies toppled Saad Hariri's cabinet in a long-running feud over the U.N.-backed STL.

Hizbullah-backed Najib Miqati was then appointed to form a new government, which Hariri's alliance has refused to join and has labeled "Hizbullah's government".

Hariri has refused to join Miqati's government without guarantees that his cabinet would see the tribunal through.

Hizbullah meanwhile is demanding Lebanon end all cooperation with the court, which it says is a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy.

While Hariri and his allies won Lebanon's last parliamentary election in 2009, shifting alliances today have positioned the Hizbullah-led camp as the majority after Druze leader Walid Jumblat moved closer to the Shiite party.