By TAREK ALI AHMAD -- arabnews.com -- LONDON: The clock is ticking ever closer to a moment of reckoning. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which was established to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, has run out of money and is due to permanently close at the end of July. In the midst of an unprecedented national economic crisis, authorities in Lebanon said they are no longer able to cover their 49 percent share of the tribunal’s $40 million-a-year operating costs. The remaining 51 percent is provided by 28 donors, including the US government and several European states. The STL announced its verdict almost a year ago. Despite repeated government appeals for financial assistance to help the STL fully fulfill its mandate, and impassioned defense of its achievements so far by experts in international criminal justice, donor nations appear content to allow it to adjourn for good.

At the time of its launch there was widespread support for the tribunal, as Lebanon reeled from one of its worst atrocities since the civil war. On Valentine’s Day 2005, a massive car bomb exploded outside St. Georges Hotel in Beirut. It killed Hariri and 21 other people, and left 269 wounded. The international community responded by issuing a number of UN Security Council resolutions and setting up an investigative commission to assist the Lebanese authorities in investigating the murder and other political crimes. Four years after the assassination, UN Security Council Resolution 1757 established the STL, based in Leidschendam in the Netherlands, kick-starting the task of seeking the truth and obtaining justice for the victims. The tribunal issued its judgment on Aug. 18 last year. It found Hezbollah member Salim Jamil Ayyash guilty of launching the attack, but acquitted three co-defendants. After long delays, attacks on investigators, intimidation of witnesses, and routine trouncing by the media, the STL’s verdict was greeted with an almighty shrug. Coming as it did close on the heels of the devastating August 4 Beirut port explosion, the decision was seen by many as proof that the process had failed because it “convicted only one person.”

by english.ahram.org.eg — In a meeting with the commander of the Lebanese army Joseph Aoun, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi expressed his appreciation …

by nna-leb.gov.lb

ونوه سليمان ب"الدور المحوري الريادي للمؤسسة العسكرية التي تثبت في الاستحقاقات والمحطات كافة، جدارتها وقدرتها على كسب ثقة اللبنانيين في حين باتت ثقة الشعب شبه مفقودة بأكثرية مؤسسات الدولة"، داعيا "كل القوى السياسية إلى الوقوف خلف الجيش ليبسط سلطته الكاملة في الداخل وعلى الحدود".

by Gareth Browne -- thenationalnews.ae -- The EU is pushing ahead to finalise a package of sanctions on Lebanon despite Monday’s nomination of Najib Mikati as prime minister-designate, European diplomats have told The National. Several officials told The National that, although they noted this week’s movement on forming a new Lebanese government, they were sceptical that Mr Mikati – a two-time former prime minister – can finalise an administration. Lebanon needs a new government that could introduce the reforms required to stave off a wave of sanctions on the country's political class and unlock international financial support. “Nothing has changed until we see concrete reforms. Mikati’s nomination is a still long way from that,” one European diplomat in Beirut said. “It’s not a case of buying them time because the sanctions were never just about government formation – they were about blocking the reforms Lebanon desperately needs. “Until the reform happens, sanctions stay on the table.”

Brussels has been working on a package of sanctions to punish those blocking government formation and vital structural reforms in Lebanon for months. Germany and France have been leading the efforts. “I can say that the objective is to complete this by the end of the month," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said earlier this month. "I am not talking about the implementation of the regime, just the building of the regime according to sound legal basis.” The EU sanctions would include asset freezes and travel bans. One European diplomat said that Mr Mikati would need to make sure his government formation efforts do not drag on. “Mikati said himself he wants to be fast. He said he is not going to do the same as Saad Hariri. If in a few weeks nothing is done, then we will take that into account,” they said.