Gemayel: The STL is a need for Lebanon

Phalange MP Sami Gemayel told OTV on Friday, in response to the threats of Hezbollah and its March 8 allies:

“The more they threaten against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), the more we stick to the court.”

“The STL is a need for Lebanon,” he said , adding that his party is not afraid of any threats aimed against the tribunal.

“Any compromise at the expense of achieving justice will be confronted within a peaceful political framework.”

Gemayel also voiced hope that Hezbollah will not be accused of murdering former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, adding that “the killers should accept responsibility.”

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday that the STL is a conspiracy that will “ vanish with the wind, just like all the past conspiracies.”

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Friday, according to a statement issued by Hezbollah: “We have buried the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) indictment before it has even been issued.” Qassem also said: “They are using the American-Israeli STL to score a victory against us. The indictment will not change a thing so it has become worthless to us.”

Tension escalated in Lebanon following reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will soon issue its indictment into the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Last July, the Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the tribunal is “an Israeli project” that will indict Hezbollah members. Nasrallah accused Israel of being behind Hariri’s assassination but refused to provide the evidence to STL to support his claim. Hezbollah and its March 8 allies have been calling for the abolition of STL.