Ashton Concerned Over ‘Absence of Explicit Commitment to STL’
In the first foreign reaction to the vote of confidence that Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s cabinet received on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressed concern over the absence in the policy statement of an explicit commitment to the international tribunal.
The confidence vote “will enable Lebanon to respond to the political and economic challenges it is facing,” Ashton said in a statement.
“I take note of the government's ministerial declaration which highlights the importance of deepening relations with the European Union. The EU is ready to further develop its partnership with Lebanon and support the much needed reforms,” she said.
But the diplomat expressed concern over “the absence of an explicit commitment to cooperate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.” Ashton stressed that the tribunal should continue to function with the full cooperation of all parties.
“Achieving international justice and preserving stability in Lebanon are mutually reinforcing goals,” she said, adding that the EU expects Miqati’s cabinet to uphold all its international obligations.
almost 13 years
Expect more surprises to come. They will be fed to these clowns little by little by little as the joke gets more and more lame and the STL farce gets more and more laughable. Buy, buy truth ends with bye bye justice. wa qad ou3zira man anzara
almost 13 years
Why Ashton is not concerned with the apartheid in Israel, the flotilla report and Israel total disrespect for international laws and UN resolutions!!!
almost 13 years
Whatever the STL is, it named four suspects based on evidence. If they are innocent, they wouldn't be hiding and would defend themselves in the court of law
almost 13 years
Strider, if u r clever enough, u should learn to put things in context, I was just making a remark about how come Ashton who as a European has more problems to deal with the flotilla and Israel and arab/palestinian cause (they have plenty of palestinian supporters at home) and preffer to deal with issues that would rather please Israel. I don't know what is farce, probably u and since u like to compare people to einstein, u should learn about relativity and stop thinking that u r the central of the world. I don't care about the palestinians and who they killed when I comment on EU representatives dealing with Lebanese issues. Don't mix things and don't insult people, learn how to read and think and then try to comment in-line. Relativity is a difficult world to assimilate I guess for people like u. And marc should also use that name notion, innocent people can go to prison, STL might have tangible proof or not but this also could be relative.
Mrs Ashton knows very well that the STL is gone with the wind like Rafik and Saad .... So please stop your hypocrisy .