Security Council Votes for Hariri Tribunal
Filed under: Middle East
The 15 state members of the UNSCR voted the UN Resolution 1757 establishing a tribunal to try those accused of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. The resolution was sponsored by the United States, Britain, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Italy and brought in at the request of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and of 70 Lebanese MPs.
An Nahar reported that people celebrated in the streets this first important victory, and Saad Hariri thanked the people and the international community for supporting this initiative from the get go.
The tribunal is necessary, not just for Hariri, but also for Pierre Gemayel, Gebran Tueni, Kasir, all good men who have publicly stated that they want a Lebanon free of Syrian interference. And we should not forget that before these assassinations there were others who were eliminated by Damascus, like Bashir Gemayel, Rene Mouwad, Kamal Jumblatt and so on. SOLIDA does a wonderful job reminding the Lebanese and the world that tens of thousands of Lebanese individuals have been illegally detained, many murdered by the heinous Syrian Baath regime in the past 30 years. Not surprisingly, Syria denies it. Actually, Syria refuses to admit that it has ever harm Lebanon or the Lebanese. Go figure! After 30 years of military/intelligence occupation that is a very stupid affirmation even for the Syrian Baath and Assad.
Hezbollah also expressed its criticism of the International Tribunal. If it has nothing to hide, why fear the IT? The same goes for Damascus. Actually SANA the state run news agency said that, "Setting up the court under Chapter 7 (of the UN Charter) violates Lebanese sovereignty and could result in further deterioration of the situation in the Lebanese arena." That means that Syria realizes that it is trapped in its own wrongdoings, but not ready to give up without a fight.
Hezbollah ministers resigned some months ago in order to put pressure on Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora; HA orchestrated the summer war with Israel, the violent street strikes and later on the, mostly peaceful sit-ins in front of the government building. They had the FPM support, but it looks like General Aoun in his ambition to become President, choose the wrong camp.
It is good that the efforts of Syria, HA and its allies (Fatah al Islam, SSNP, FPM etc ) failed to accomplish any of their objectives. Now that justice is on the verge of being made, I bet Syria will do its best to create chaos in Lebanon. If the Lebanese made it so far, lets hope they won't let the criminals' escape prosecution.
In brief: UNSCR Resolutions regarding Lebanon (before 1757)
UN 1559 asking the:
-Withdrawing Syrian forces from Lebanon
-Disbanding and disarming the Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias
-Lebanese independence and sovereignty
-Government control over all Lebanese territory (South and Beqaa included)
UN 1680
-Urging Syria to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon
UN 1664
-Asking for the establishment of the international tribunal
UN 1701
-Full cessation of hostilities
-Israel to withdraw from Lebanon in parallel with Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers deploying throughout the South
-Disarming HA
-Full control of Lebanon by the government of Lebanon
-No paramilitary forces, including Hezbollah, will be located south of the Litani river
And it stresses the urgency of solving the problem of the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by HA - fact that lead to the war in the 1st place
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