U.N. Chief Extends STL Mandate for Three Years
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has extended the mandate of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) for a period of three years from March 1, 2015, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1757, a statement on the U.N. chief's website said.
The mandate of the STL, which is based near The Hague in the Netherlands, is to hold trials for those accused of carrying out the bomb attack of February 14, 2005 in Beirut which killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 other people.
“The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to support the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to bring those responsible to justice and to ensure that impunity for such major crimes will not be tolerated,” the statement said.
“The United Nations looks forward to the continued support and cooperation of the Government of Lebanon,” it added.
Five Hizbullah members have been indicted over the killing. Party chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has dismissed the STL as a U.S.-Israeli scheme and vowed that the accused will never be found.
The trial in absentia began in January 2014 and is currently ongoing.
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