France Hails STL Ruling in Hariri Murder Case

The French Embassy in Lebanon issued a statement by the French Foreign Ministry, welcoming the final ruling of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the murder case of ex-PM Rafic Hariri, the National News Agency reported on Thursday.

"France welcomes the work of the Special Tribunal, which is considered an independent and impartial judicial body, and that issued its verdict in the case of the assassination of Premier Rafik Hariri," the statement said, describing the ruling as “a milestone in the fight against impunity for terrorist acts.”

"France is committed to fighting impunity. Since its inception under Resolution 1757 issued by the United Nations Security Council, France has supported the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at the budget and technical levels, and will continue to do so," the statement added.

"The STL verdict must be implemented in full," the statement went on, stressing that the STL must continue with regard to the assassination of George Hawi and the two assassination attempts of Marwan Hamadeh and Elias Murr.

"France is committed to Lebanon's recovery on the basis of ambitious reforms, including the rule of law, justice and the fight against impunity," it concluded.