... the opposition to the Mar. 14th movement, consisting of Hizbullah and its allies, so-called in commemoration of their Mar. 8th, 2006 demonstration of strength in Beirut ...
' rejection to pay Leb's fees to the STL unless the is amended.
"Nothing has changed, and the funding will not be approved," sources close to the March 8 forces told al-Liwaa newspaper on Thursday.
The sources stressed that the tribunal "will not be an excuse for the Israelis and Americans to target Leb and its resistance... We will not bargain on this."
A western diplomatic source noted to al-Mustaqbal
... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri...
news channel that Prime Minister
Najib Miqati asked U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another Edward Livingstone...
during their meeting in New York to urge the U.N. to submit a written request to the Lebanese government to confirm Leb's commitment to the international resolutions.
The source added that the request was to convince Miqati's allies with the importance of committing to the STL and not to confront the international community.
A ministerial source told al-Liwaa that a suggested way out could be through issuing a decree that approves paying Leb's $33 million dues, signed by President Michel Suleiman, the PM, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi and caretaking Justice Minister Walid al-Daouq, since Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi committed himself to the Free Patriotic Movement
Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
decision not to approve the funding.
Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Leb received on Wednesday a formal request from the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
to pay Leb's share in the STL.
The STL had released arrest warrants against four Hizbullah members, accusing them of being involved in Hariri's Feb. 2005 murder.
The party has announced that it will not cooperate with the tribunal, describing it as an American-Israeli product aimed at destroying it.
A dispute recently rose in Leb on whether the March 8-dominant government would commit to funding the tribunal.
However,
nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits...
Suleiman and Miqati had committed themselves to the funding of the STL during their visit to New York.