France critical of Lebanon government''s attitude to Special Tribunal

The French government on Friday expressed concern at a Lebanese government statement Thursday concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and which seemed to question the impartiality and professionalism of that court. The Special Tribunal has been charged with the investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who died in a massive bomb blast along with 22 others in central Beirut. The French Foreign Ministry said it had "taken note" of the ministerial statement by the Lebanese Parliament and urged the government of Nagib Mikati to "implement reforms" that have been mentioned. But Paris took exception to the references to the STL. "We are, all the same, concerned by the formulation used to address the STL, which tend to cast doubt on the impartiality and professionalism of this international jurisdiction." The Tribunal has recently named four members of Hezbollah for their involvement in the Hariri assassination, a claim rejected by the party. Hezbollah is a leading political player in the Lebanese government and in Parliament. "We recall our full support to the STL and the action it is carrying out in favour of the search for truth and the fight against impunity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said. "The Tribunal, like all other criminal jurisdictions, works in an independent manner and is founded on scrupulous respect for rights of defendants," he added. France was the driving force behind the setting up of the STL and then-President Jacques Chirac, a close friend of Hariri, brought the matter to the UN Security Council and lobbied to have the court set up and financed two years after the assassination and just before he left office.