No obligation to fund the International Tribunal

The chairman of Lebanese parliamentary bloc "Change and Reform" MP Michel Aoun said Tuesday, after the weekly meeting of his power, that "his relationship with Hezbollah is tight."

He added that they are not responsible for "pay money for the International Tribunal." "If we help or not, this body will not stop his work and we are not opposed to justice but we are against the financing," he said.

The bloc leader said his group supports "the Tribunal if it goes through constitutional means and any international convention should go through the President who should, in turn, send it to Parliament."

"We are not confornting anyone, but the international community does not hesitate to do so, and any action taken against us, it would be unfair because there is no obligation to fund the Tribunal," he said.

General Michel Aoun welcomed later on, Baath Party head Fayez Shukr who considered that the financing issue pertaining to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, illegal as it has not been endorsed by either the parliamentary council or the presidency. Accordingly, Shukr voiced rejection to financing the STL. 

Separately, former House Speaker Deputy Elie Ferzli visited Aoun and highlighted the importance of endorsing a good election law that safeguards the country from any confessional or sectarian strife and provides a good representation of confessions in the country.