U.S., UK Welcome Start of STL Trial, Say Perpetrators Must be Brought to Justice

The United States welcomed the start of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s trial for four Hizbullah members accused of the Feb. 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.

“We have strongly supported the Tribunal’s efforts to hold accountable those responsible for destabilizing acts of violence in Lebanon,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement on Thursday.

“The Tribunal’s work must continue unimpeded and the perpetrators of these acts must be brought to justice,” he said.

Carney reiterated the condemnation to use violence as a political tool.

“We call on all parties to work together to insulate Lebanon from further instability, including by supporting the institutions of the Lebanese state, assisting the Lebanese Armed Forces, and by respecting Lebanon’s neutrality as agreed in the Baabda Declaration,” he said.

Nearly nine years after a suicide truck bomb killed Hariri and 21 others, the trial started Thursday in The Hague for four Hizbullah suspects accused of plotting the assassination.

The four suspects are Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Assad Sabra and Hassan Oneissi.

A fifth was Hassan Habib Merhi, who was indicted later than the other four suspects and is not currently being tried.

All five of them are not in custody. Lebanese authorities have failed to arrest them.

Britain also welcomed the launch of the STL trial.

“I hope it will help achieve justice for the families of Rafik Hariri, the other victims and for the Lebanese people,” said Foreign Office Minister Hugh Robertson.

“The UK strongly supports the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” he said.

“I was pleased to announce an additional of £1 million UK funding in December, bringing our total contribution to £5.5million since 2009,” he said.

“I was also pleased to see Lebanon fulfil its obligation by making its annual financial contribution to the Tribunal,” he said.

“We continue to call for the arrest of those indicted by the Tribunal. The UK stands firmly behind Lebanese and international efforts to end the culture of impunity,” Robertson added.