U.S. PRESS STATEMENT ON FUNDING THE SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
Press Statement
Marie Harf
Deputy Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 30, 2013

The United States welcomes Lebanon’s decision to fulfill its 2013 funding obligations to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. We recognize and commend Prime Minister Mikati’s strong leadership in ensuring that the government met this important commitment. We fully support the work of the Tribunal and its efforts to find and hold accountable those responsible for reprehensible and destabilizing acts of violence in Lebanon.

The December 27 assassination bombing in Beirut is a stark reminder that for too long, Lebanon has suffered from a culture of impunity for those who use murder and terror to promote their political agenda against the interests of the Lebanese people. The Tribunal, working with the Government of Lebanon, will help end this impunity by providing a transparent, fair process to determine responsibility for the terrorist attack that killed former Prime Minister Hariri and scores of others.

Continued financial support and ongoing cooperation by Lebanon’s political, judicial, and law enforcement authorities are critical to the Tribunal’s work. That is why the United States has provided strong financial support to the Tribunal since its inception, and we will continue to do so. We urge the international community to continue to support the Tribunal and the Government of Lebanon to achieve the shared goals of ensuring justice and ending impunity. We stand with the Lebanese people in these efforts and will continue to do so.

U.S. CONDEMNS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON LEBANESE POLITICAL FIGURE SAMIR GEAGEA

FROM U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Assassination Attempt Against Samir Geagea
Press Statement
Mark C. Toner
Acting Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
April 5, 2012
The United States condemns in the strongest terms what appears to be an assassination attempt targeting Lebanese politician Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, on April 4. While we do not know who was behind the attack at this time, we are deeply concerned that Mr. Geagea may have been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the Assad regime’s murderous repression and Hizballah’s destabilizing actions in Lebanon. We call on the Government of Lebanon to thoroughly investigate this incident.

Lebanon and the international community have sought to bring about an end to impunity for political assassinations with the 2009 establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) to investigate the assassinations of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other public figures from 2004 to 2007. The United States reiterates its strong support for the work of the STL. We call on the Government of Lebanon to cooperate fully with the Tribunal, including arresting those named in the 2011 indictment and providing funding to the Tribunal’s operations for 2012.