Obama backs Lebanon tribunal

US: US President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed the filing of an indictment over the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and said the U.N.-backed tribunal for Lebanon must be allowed to continue its work.

"This action represents an important step toward ending the era of impunity for murder in Lebanon, and achieving justice for the Lebanese people," Obama said in a written statement.

The prosecutor of the UN-backed tribunal issued on Monday a draft indictment over the 2005 killing of Hariri, and 22 others, a long-anticipated move that has touched off a Lebanese political crisis.

Last week, the militant Shi'ite Hezbollah and its allies toppled the government of Saad al-Hariri, the slain man's son, and the group said it would not back Hariri for another term. The escalation in political tension has alarmed regional leaders, who met in Syria on Monday to try to overcome the deadlock and prevent it from turning violent. "I know that this is a significant and emotional time for the Lebanese people, and we join the international community in calling on all Lebanese leaders and factions to preserve calm and exercise restraint," Obama said. Obama said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon must be allowed to work, without interference and coercion. He called efforts to "manufacture a crisis" a "false choice," and said efforts to undermine the tribunal show that its opponents have something to hide. "Any attempt to fuel tensions and instability, in Lebanon or in the region, will only undermine the very freedom and aspirations that the Lebanese people seek and that so many nations support," Obama said.

Washington, Tuesday, Reuters