Lebanon MPs ask UN to move on Hariri court

Beirut, Apr 4: The anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon's parliament handed a petition to the United Nations asking for steps towards an international court to try suspects in the killing of a former prime minister, majority sources said.

Seventy majority deputies signed the petition asking UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for moves to set up the court, which is at the heart of Lebanon's worst political crisis since the country's 1975-1990 civil war.

The majority accuse the opposition, including groups allied to Damascus, of trying to thwart the tribunal's establishment to protect its allies in the Syrian government.

Majority leaders accuse Damascus of the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and a string of other attacks on anti-Syrian figures. Syria denies involvement. The attacks are being probed by a UN investigation.

The majority has been demanding a session of parliament so that deputies can vote on the tribunal draft.

But Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri an opposition leader and Damascus ally has yet to convene the chamber. He says he will not call it to debate the tribunal until President Emile Lahoud, also a Syrian ally, has signed the draft.

Lahoud and the opposition, which includes Hezbollah, dispute the legitimacy of the government which approved the tribunal statutes in November.

The opposition says it agrees to the idea of the tribunal but wants to discuss its mandate so it is not used as a political tool.

Ban said last week during a visit to Lebanon he wanted Lebanese consensus on the tribunal, but stressed "the importance of moving forward on this issue." The majority's petition asked Ban to "take alternative measures according to the UN charter to establish the tribunal", a majority source said yesterday.

Ban said last week it was premature to talk about setting up the tribunal under Chapter 7 of the UN charter when Lebanese constitutional procedures had yet to be taken towards approving the court.Chapter 7 makes Security Council resolutions mandatory under international law.

Reuters