Iran TV on Lebanon Hariri Tribunal

Broadcast 9 February by Iranian state satellite TV (IRINN): Announcer: When Siniora sent this letter to the UN secretary-general Lebanon's recent crisis entered a new phase. Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said this measure was illegal and accused this nation's prime minister of violating the constitution. Lebanon's Hezbollah movement accused the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora of violating this nation's constitution. Recently Siniora informed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon about the signing of a letter of cooperation in the formation of an international tribunal, which Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud refused to sign. Lebanon's Hezbollah believes Siniora sent a letter to the UN secretary-general without the agreement of Lebanon's minister of foreign affairs and thereby violated Lebanon's constitution. Political circles in Lebanon believe that this action by Siniora was a suspicious government measure aimed at undermining the prerogatives of Lebanon's Parliament, while neither the deputies of Parliament, its speaker nor any other political group wants the formation of the tribunal. Indeed it is only the ruling group in Lebanon that wants this done. In November of 2006 the Security Council approved for the Siniora government the formation of an international tribunal to try the assassins of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Following that the Siniora's government's decision to approve the text of the UN measure to form the tribunal led to the resignation of six ministers and consequently to a political crisis that still continues. Three months ago Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, the head of the Amal Movement, the Hezbollah Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement led by Michel Aoun as well as Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud have declared the Fouad Siniora government illegitimate and said that its enactments are illegal. Last Tuesday the UN approved the agreement Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to form an international tribunal to study the case of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. In a letter to the UN Secretary General, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud announced that Siniora is seeking to form an international tribunal based on Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. On the other hand, contrary to his political propaganda about the Hariri case, Siniora has announced that his government is not seeking to politicize the international tribunal on Hariri's assassination. Despite this, some of the MPs in the Lebanese Parliament believe that Siniora is seeking to politicize this case with the help of certain foreign countries. Voice of Arabic Interpreter: America and France, in collusion with the ruling faction in Lebanon, are politicizing the issue of the international tribunal on Rafiq Hariri's assassination as a means of achieving their own political objectives. Lebanon's ruling faction, taking instructions from America and France, have trampled the Charter of Coexistence. Announcer: At the present time the changes in Lebanon are progressing in such a way that it is possible with pressure from the ruling faction, meaning the Siniora government, that an emergy session of Parliament will convene under the deputy speaker. With the adoption of hasty decisions in this matter, political clashes and unrest between various groups and the government will intensify and conditions will be created for abuses by foreign powers in order to interfere in Lebanese affairs.

YouTube | February 11, 2007

Tags:. .nor. .ministers. .despite. .crisis. .satellite