Lebanon
Latest stories
INTERPOL Asks STL to Authorize Circulation of Suspects Names

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) said Friday it has asked the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon for the names of those wanted for being involved in the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri.

The STL on Thursday submitted to the Lebanese authorities a sealed indictment and arrest warrants in the case of the 2005 assassination of Hariri and his companions.

W140 Full Story
Some 150 Syrians Flee Homs Village into North Lebanon

Around 150 Syrians fleeing unrest in their hometowns arrived Friday in north Lebanon via an illegal border crossing, a cleric working with the displaced told Agence France Presse.

Sheikh Mustafa Hammoud, imam of a mosque in the border village of Kneissi, said the Syrians -- mainly women, children and the elderly -- had made their way from the village of al-Qussair overnight for fear of fresh unrest after Friday Muslim prayers.

W140 Full Story
Connelly: Prosperity of Region Growing Increasingly Tied to Political, Economic Reform

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly voiced on Friday her country’s support to the movements of democracy in the region, adding that the U.S. is prepared to assist those who step up to solve the problems in Lebanon and the Middle East.

She said during a U.S. Embassy celebration of the U.S. Independence Day: “Independence is something that must be constantly renewed and refreshed to insure that whatever government is elected truly represents the legitimate will of the people it represents.”

W140 Full Story
Bellemare: Investigations Still Ongoing, Prosecutor Can Submit Additional Indictments At Any Stage

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has welcomed the June 28 decision of STL’s pre-trial judge to confirm the indictment that he filed regarding the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.

“The decision of the Pre-Trial Judge (Daniel Fransen) represents an important milestone as it is the first independent judicial review of the work of the Office of the Prosecutor,” the OTP said in a statement on Friday.

W140 Full Story
Clinton Says Indictment Important Milestone Toward Justice, Calls for Calm

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised on Thursday the release of the indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as an important milestone toward ending a period of impunity for political violence in Lebanon.

“The confirmation of the indictments by the pre-trial judge and their delivery by the Special Tribunal to the Lebanese authorities is an important milestone toward justice and ending a period of impunity for political violence in Lebanon,” Clinton said in a statement.

W140 Full Story
Mustaqbal Bloc Says Policy Statement ‘Trap for Lebanon’

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc said on Friday that the accusations issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the indictment in the 2005 murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri target the accused people and not their sects or parties.

MP Mohammed Kabbara, who read the bloc’s statement after a meeting it held in Qoreitem, said the STL clause in the policy statement means that the cabinet disavowed itself from its international commitments.

W140 Full Story
Charbel: Security Apparatuses to Meet Saturday to ‘Coordinate Search’ for Hariri Murder Suspects

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel announced Friday that a meeting for all concerned security apparatuses will be held Saturday to coordinate search operations for the suspects charged by a U.N.-backed court in connection with the 2005 murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri.

"We have to address this issue calmly and wisely to preserve the civil peace," Charbel told Agence France Presse.

W140 Full Story
3-Day Parliamentary Sessions Next Week to Vote on Cabinet Policy Statement

Speaker Nabih Berri set on Friday a three-day period for parliamentary sessions to allow MPs to discuss the policy statement and give their vote of confidence to the government.

During the three-consultations starting Tuesday, lawmakers will review the policy statement that was approved by the government during a session at Baabda palace on Thursday.

W140 Full Story
Report: March 14 Leaders to Prevent Cabinet from Procrastinating on STL Warrants

The March 14 forces leaderships are planning to hold a large-scale meeting within a few days after the cabinet adopted a vague clause on the international tribunal in its policy statement, al-Liwaa daily reported Friday.

The newspaper said that the meeting will most likely take place at Beirut’s Bristol hotel.

W140 Full Story
Syria’s Ambassador Denies STL Delegation Visit to Damascus: Court Lost Credibility

Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali denied on Friday media reports that a delegation from the international tribunal will head to Damascus next week to hand over to Syrian authorities arrest warrants in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder case.

Following talks with Premier Najib Miqati, Ali told reporters at the Grand Serail that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon “lost its credibility” over leaked information on the arrest warrants.

W140 Full Story