Paris Brushes Aside Khamenei's Comments on Tribunal
France brushed aside comments by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging different sides in Lebanon and the region to encourage dialogue and national interest.
"The international tribunal is an independent authority that was established by a Security Council resolution and with the support of Lebanese authorities," French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Tuesday.
The court is working for justice and against impunity, he said.
"Amid the tension over this issue, everyone in Lebanon and the region should be responsible and favor dialogue and national interest," Valero told reporters.
French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and her British counterpart William Hague discussed Lebanon and the tribunal during a dinner in London on Monday.
Valero said that both Paris and London support the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon. Alliot-Marie and Hague also agreed that the indictment should be issued amid an atmosphere of calm.
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