Lebanon: STL Indictments are “Precursor to Strife”

According to a report in the Daily Star, MP Hussein Moussawi, from Hibzullah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc, said that “the impending indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was a precursor to strife in the country.” Another MP, Walid Jumblatt (an influential leader in Lebanon’s Druze community), said the Tribunal “‘is aimed at destabilizing Lebanon rather than rendering justice,’” and that “‘[i]t is clear that this probe is being used for political purposes [...] It is clear that the investigators are leaking information and are working for countries that have accounts to settle.’” Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri voiced support for the STL saying “‘We have to put dialogue ahead of tension. No strife will happen and no one will drag us into strife.’”