saad hariri 311.
(photo credit: AP)
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri will ask the UN tribunal probing the assassination of his father Rafik Hariri to stop its investigation and leave the country, Lebanese newspaper Al-Diyar reported on Wednesday.
Hariri added that he would resist any indictments handed down by the tribunal, saying "I have sacrificed a lot and cannot sacrifice more."
RELATED:Khamenei: Any Hariri findings by int'l tribunal invalidHariri assassination indictment coming very soonTension over the tribunal has paralyzed Lebanon in recent weeks amid speculation prosecutor Daniel Bellemare will indict members of Hizbullah for the 2005 assassination.
Earlier this month, Special Tribunal for Lebanon registrar Herman von
Hebel said the case would see its first indictment very soon.
The indictment could remain sealed even after it is confirmed, if the
court believes that would make arresting suspects easier, Von Hebel
said.
Half of the tribunal's budget comes from Lebanon's government and
Hizbullah has said it may try to block funding, arguing that the court
is unconstitutional because Lebanon's Cabinet approved it in 2006 after
the resignation of five Shiite ministers. Hizbullah and its allies say
the government at the time was no longer legitimate because the
constitution requires that "all sects should be justly represented in
the Cabinet."
Von Hebel said that Lebanon failing to pay its half of the budget "would be a serious challenge."