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The Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Friday stressed that the U.N. investigators did not breach "ethical, religious and humanitarian norms" during their recent visit to a gynecology clinic in Beirut Southern Suburbs.
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Full StoryPrime Minister Saad Hariri on Friday stressed that "Lebanon will not fall into discord or into the absence of dialogue, or into (the dominance of) one opinion."
"Lebanon will not fall out of its democratic, Arab and free identity. Lebanon will always remain a sanctuary for coexistence and total parity between Muslims and Christians," Hariri said in a speech he delivered at a ceremony organized by the Suleiman Olayan School of Business, at the American University of Beirut, on the occasion of its tenth anniversary.
Full StoryThe United States on Friday vowed support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, accusing Hizbullah of "intimidation" in urging a boycott.
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday warned all Lebanese not to help investigators probing the 2005 killing of ex-PM Rafik Hariri, saying that such cooperation "contributes to the assault on the Resistance."
Full StoryU.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his deep concerns over the "recent statements and events related to the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon."
Ban condemned Wednesday's attack on U.N. investigators at a gynecology clinic in Beirut Southern Suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold, stressing that "such acts of interference and intimidation are unacceptable."
Full StoryThe Mustaqbal bloc repeated on Friday its support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon "that all the Lebanese agreed on to protect political diversity."
It said in a statement after a meeting headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Center House: "We call on all political forces to respect the internal dialogue on the international investigation and respect the laws that protect the components of Lebanese society."
Full StoryLiberation and Development bloc MP Qassem Hashem stressed on Friday that there is no way to doubt Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent speech, saying that all international developments related to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are aimed at destabilizing the country.
He told ANB television that Nasrallah's speech "did not embarrass us … but his statements represent the dividing line between allowing the whole of Lebanon to be violated and maintaining the Lebanese' dignity."
Full StoryReform and Change bloc MP Nabil Nicola stressed on Friday that Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has the right to demand the Lebanese not to cooperate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the international investigators.
Addressing the Dahiyeh incident, he said that medical ethics obligate all doctors not to divulge patient information to anyone, not even the international investigators.
Full StoryLebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra criticized on Friday Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent speech, noting that the party has become an "oppressor of the Lebanese".
"Such a development should be met with peaceful resistance that would defend human rights," he told al-Arabiya television.
Full StoryU.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman rejected a theory which says that commitment to justice would lead to instability, thus gives an excuse to use violence and weapons in dealing with the Court indictment which is expected soon.
In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper published Friday, Feltman cautioned Syrian President Bashar Assad that the actions and practices of his allies should comply with the Syrian leadership's commitment to Lebanon's security and stability.
Full StoryParliament Speaker Nabih Berri returned home from an official visit to France where he met President Michel Sarkozy.
Berri announced after the meeting with Sarkozy that he discussed "everything" related to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the investigation into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
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