Washington-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon , US plan to suppress ME revolts

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the Washington-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) was set up by the US with the purpose of weakening the resistance of freedom-seeking movements in the Middle East.

“The (STL) verdict has been issued to meet the demands of the US, the Zionist regime (Israel) and Saudi Arabia with the aim of damaging and weakening the resistance of freedom-seeking movements in the Middle East,” a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Mohammad Karami Rad said on Sunday.

“Now, the ball is in the court of international legal circles which should give explanations about the political verdict of The Hague,” he told Majlis news agency (ICANA).

The top Iranian legislator also warned religious, political and social groups “to be cautious about Washington’s plots and the Zionism lobby.”

The West and pliable Arab regimes intend to cause a split between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Lebanon in an attempt to undermine the new government in the country, he further explained.

Karami Rad pointed to Washington’s failure against popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and emphasized that the continuation of such policies will definitely endanger US interests and Israel’s existence.

He pointed out that White House officials only claim to defend human rights and fight against terrorism. He went on to say that the US-backed verdicts against Hezbollah members are aimed at taking control of regional events, stressing, “They will achieve no success.”

The lawmaker also noted that the region’s Islamic awakening will spread to other independent countries in the near future.

Former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri was killed along with more than 20 others in a massive car bombing in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on February 14, 2005.

The controversial STL, which has been investigating Hariri’s death for the past four years with the help and support of Washington, submitted a sealed indictment and arrest warrants to the Lebanese Justice Ministry on June 30.

The pro-Western Future Television owned by the Future Movement of the victim’s son Sa’ad Hariri said that the indictment had named four members of the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah. The ministry, however, is yet to make the contents public.

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah rejected the allegations, saying the indictments were premeditated and politically motivated.

He presented new documents on Saturday indicating that the STL’s computers and their documents were not directly sent to The Hague from Beirut, but transferred via Israel.