Syrian press criticizes UNSC tribunal decision

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Syria's state-run newspapers Thursday criticized the UN Security Council's resolution to unilaterally establish an international tribunal in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, calling it an American-Israeli decision aimed at exacting revenge on Syria. A UN investigation has suggested Syrian involvement in the February 2005 assassination that occurred while the country's troops controlled Lebanon. But Syria has denied these accusations, and President Bashar Assad has threatened not to cooperate with the court if it infringes on Syrian national sovereignty. The Security Council voted Wednesday on the resolution 10-0, with five abstentions - Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia and Qatar. The five countries that abstained objected to establishing the tribunal without approval of Lebanon's parliament and to putting the resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which deals with threats to international peace and allows military enforcement.