Tribunal “unstoppable”
Former Lebanese Justice Minister Charles Rizk on Friday confirmed that the International Tribunal for Lebanon, a UN-appointed tribunal to investigate the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, had reached a stage in which it could not be stopped, but was nonetheless in need of active follow-up.
In an interview with the Lebanese al-Mustaqbal daily, Rizk said he believed the judges assigned to the tribunal should be entirely.
“The Lebanese judges have both the integrity and the qualifications (needed for this job)”, he added.
In response to a reporter’s question, Rizk denied that he had changed his stances after taking over the justice ministry.
“I saw reality when ex-president Emile Lahoud refused to allow reforms in the Lebanese judicial system during his reign,” the ex-minister revealed.
Rizk said instability in Lebanon was a reflection of the situation in the region in general. “I do not give the government’s situation in Lebanon any particular importance – for it is just a reflection and a result” for the instability in the region, he concluded.