Saad Hariri calls on the Lebanese government to pay a financial contribution to the Special Tribunal

Sa'ad Al Hariri

Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister-designate, called on the Lebanese government today to "pay its financial contribution" to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and called on the international community to "assume its responsibilities."

The tribunal was set up to try those in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The tribunal, which derives 51 percent of its funding from voluntary contributions and 49 percent from the Lebanese government, will cease to function after July if the funding issue is not resolved.

On Thursday, judges of the UN tribunal annulled a new trial of the man convicted of the Hariri killing because they expected the tribunal to run out of money and be forced to close before it could complete its mission.

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