Syria Slams Launch of Hariri Tribunal as “Folklore”
Syria has criticized the March 1 launch of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, describing it as "folklore."
The daily Al Mustaqbal said on Tuesday that an argument erupted between Syrian and Lebanese representatives at a meeting of the Arab League at the level of delegates in Cairo.
It quoted Arab diplomatic sources as saying that the quarrel developed after Syrian ambassador to Cairo Youssef al-Ahmad objected to a "Solidarity with Lebanon" clause which included the phrase "welcomed the establishment of the tribunal" and "Arab confidence in the fairness of the court."
"No such thing as launch of the court has taken place," al-Ahmad has reportedly told the meeting that was held in Cairo on Sunday, claiming that the supposed launch of the tribunal was just a facade for the media.
"What has happened was folklore," Ahmad was quoted by an Arab diplomatic source as saying, in reference to the launch of the tribunal in The Hague on Sunday.
"The international tribunal is still a gymnasium; and the proof is that U.N. Security General Ban Ki-moon has personally said that the court will be launched in 2010 when the courtroom is ready," he added.
The weekend talks were in preparation for a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the imminent decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on war crime charges against Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
"How can we, as Arabs, trust [the international court]?" al-Ahmad asked.
"Anyways, the tribunal was established in line with an agreement between the Lebanese state and the U.N., so why should we, as Arabs, be drawn into this issue?" he wondered.
Lebanon”s representative Ali Halabi hit back, saying "you should not underestimate the launch of the international tribunal."
"It is a major event in Lebanon”s history. It”s not true that it is mere folklore," Halabi argued.
Al-Ahmad replied: "I am not underestimating [the court], but why do you want to draw us into this issue?"