March 30, 2010 - Naharnet - Phalange Party: Refrain of 'Politicizing STL' Has Returned as if Some Sides Fear Justice

Phalange Party on Monday noted "the return of the refrain of politicizing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as if some sides fear the judgment of justice and are trying to anticipate the verdicts by casting doubt over the impartiality of the tribunal and its integrity."
In a statement issued after its weekly meeting under party leader Amin Gemayel, Phalange's politburo called on all parties "to respect the work of the tribunal," noting that Phalange Party "which lost two of its leaders, martyrs (ex-minister) Pierre Gemayel and (ex-MP) Antoine Ghanem and their companions, has not uttered accusations without a definite evidence because it considers every suspect as innocent until proven guilty."

The party called on everyone to hold onto this presumption of innocence principle.

On the other hand, Phalange Party reiterated "its insistence on holding municipal elections on time for many reasons: respecting constitutional deadlines, obligations and the principle of power rotation without using reforms as a plea in case they were not adopted."

The party also stressed the need "for the State to facilitate the issue of administrative appointments," warning against "delaying or obstructing them using the alibi of inventing new mechanisms."

Furthermore, the party expressed dismay over "the meager outcome of Libya's Arab summit regarding the major challenges and regarding divisions among Arab monarchs and presidents on decades-old axioms, especially regarding the Palestinian cause that is witnessing a dangerous juncture threatening the fate of peace and what is left of Palestinian rights."

"Arabs should have benefited from the current U.S.-Israeli dispute to unify their stances and corner Israel so that world powers and the United Nations commit more and more to the peace process.

"Overbidding at the expense of the Palestinian people, and even at the expense of Lebanon, dominated the speeches and resolutions," Phalange's statement added.