July 27, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Ministerial panel proposed to study political repercussions of STL’s indictment

In an interview with New TV on Tuesday, Minister of State Adnan as-Sayyed Hussein said there were some proposals for the formation of a ministerial commission to study only the political repercussions on Lebanon of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) pending indictment in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

He said the tribunal’s indictment should not be allowed to threaten the political and security environments in Lebanon.

“I am not downplaying the significance of the STL. But aren’t there other means to deal with this issue in order to prevent Lebanese divisions and sedition?” he asked.

In an interview with As-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper published on Tuesday, Sayyed Hussein said that the cabinet would be discussing on Wednesday the possibility of forming a ministerial commission to monitor the STL.

This comes after Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday called for a commission to investigate the issue of false witnesses in the tribunal.

Sayyed Hussein added it was important to follow up on the STL, particularly since the upcoming phase will witness numerous summits between Arab leaders, leading to political developments.