Lebanon Welcomes STL Verdict amid Calls to Maintain ‘National Unity’
Arab World
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese officials and political figures welcomed the verdict issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, while calls mounted for the need to preserve national unity and save the country from its current crisis. President Michel Aoun said that the court ruling should be an occasion to recall the positions of the late former premier and his constant calls for unity and solidarity. “No one is greater than his own country,” Aoun said, quoting Hariri. He emphasized the importance of the former prime minister’s call on the Lebanese to join efforts in order to protect the country from any attempt aimed at stirring strife. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said: “Just as Lebanon lost on February 14, 2005, with the martyrdom of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, an irreplaceable national figure, today and after the ruling of the Special Tribunal, it is necessary that we win the Lebanon that the late prime minister believed in; a unified nation.” He urged the Lebanese people to “demonstrate reason and kindness, as expressed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on behalf of the family of the deceased.” In comments, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he hoped that the verdict would pave the way to “achieve justice and promote stability… so that the country emerges strongly from this ordeal, embracing national unity, civil peace and coexistence.” In a statement, former PM Najib Mikati noted that with the ruling, “Lebanon enters the era of justice for all the assassinations and political violence for which the Lebanese have paid a heavy price over many years.”
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2456961/lebanon-welcomes-stl-verdict-amid-calls-maintain-%E2%80%98national-unity%E2%80%99
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