Report: STL Refuses Extending Funding Timeframe

A High-ranking Lebanese official attempted to extend the timeframe of the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, whereby the cabinet has until the end of November to pay its dues.

United Nations sources told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Tuesday that the official attempted to extend the timeframe until Hizbullah and its allies agree on the funding, but the STL didn’t approve the request.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati had received at the end of September a message from U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon requesting Lebanon to pay its $33 million dues.

The STL had issued arrest warrants against four Hizbullah members, accusing them of being involved in Hariri’s Feb. 2005 murder.

The party has announced that it will not cooperate with the tribunal, describing it as an American-Israeli product aimed at destroying it.

Meanwhile, high-ranking Lebanese officials were seeking to convince U.N. General-Secretary to annex Security Council resolution 1559 to resolution 1701, al-Hayat reported.

U.N. sources revealed to the daily that the officials are seeking to end the mission of the U.N. Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen in an attempt to stop the reports he is preparing on the implementation of the resolutions.

However, the sources stressed that Ban didn’t take into consideration their request because the first resolution (1559) includes details not mentioned in the second resolution (1701), such as the disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution that was intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

While, the Security Council Resolution 1559, adopted on September 2, 2004. After recalling resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 520 (1982) and 1553 (2004) on the situation in Lebanon, the Council supported free and fair presidential elections in Lebanon and called upon remaining foreign forces to withdraw from the country.

“The international sides considered carrying out the implementation of resolution 1559 is required now more than ever with the Syrian (army) forces’ infiltration into the Lebanese territories,” the sources added.