July 29, 2010 - Naharnet - Arslan: Some March 14 Statements Coincide with Our Skeptical Stances on STL's Integrity

Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan on Wednesday noted that "just as soon the Special Tribunal for Lebanon turned into an international blatantly politicized tribunal, abandoning its judicial nature, it automatically lost any logical relation to being a tribunal according to the legal definition of the word."
Arslan voiced his surprise over "the latest remarks of some March 14 leaders who said they would reject STL's indictment if it wasn't based on convincing data and evidences."

"These statements by the idols of that camp that is supportive of the politicized STL totally coincide, perhaps unintentionally, with our skeptical stances on the tribunal's integrity and its indictment," Arslan added.

"We also reject this indictment that is being promoted by the Israelis and their international and Arab media outlets, given that it won't be based on correct and concrete evidences, starting by the tribunal's total disregard for false witnesses and its refusal to summon them for interrogation to identify those behind them."

Arslan said that those who had fabricated the so-called false witnesses are "committing the crime of misleading the investigation in order to protect the perpetrators of the February 14, 2005 terrorist, international crime."

"As long as this fresh stance by March 14 leaders practically coincides with the stance of our camp which adheres to a 'judicial' tribunal, then this must create the basis of an internal dialogue on the issue of false witnesses and the Israeli role," Arslan suggested.