UK renews support for Lebanon triunal

LONDON, Nov 16 (KUNA) -- Before travelling to New York to chair a session of the UN Security Council on Sudan, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague Tuesday announced additional financial support to the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon. In a statement, the Foreign Secretary said: "The UK will contribute a further one million pounds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in 2011. "This underlines our support for the tribunal, which is working to end impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon. It is important that international justice be done and that we hold those guilty of serious crimes to account," Hague affirmed.
"As I said to Prime Minister Hariri during his recent visit to London, the UK is committed to supporting the search for justice within Lebanon. This is the only way to ensure long term stability in the country." Hague said he will encourage the other members of the international community to do the same, and welcome further contributions by other donor states. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was established by a UN resolution in 2007 to bring justice to those involved in the political murders in Lebanon, notably the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. The Tribunal is funded by both the Lebanese Government and the international community. Including this new commitment, the UK has committed 2.3 million pounds in support of the Tribunal over three years. The main contributor is the Government of Lebanon, and other contributors include the US, the Netherlands and France. (end) he.rk KUNA 161247 Nov 10NNNN