CAIRO, Oct 04, 2010 (AFP) - Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Monday stressed their support for the UN tribunal on the assassination of Lebanon's ex-premier Rafiq Hariri and said efforts to sabotage it will fail, the foreign ministry said.
Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki was speaking after a brief trip to Jeddah with Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, who had talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal focusing on Lebanon.
The two ministers underlined "the necessity for all parties to engage in stabilising Lebanon and supporting its government and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon" (STL) created by the United Nations in 2007, Zaki said.
"The position of Egypt and Saudi Arabia is clear: attempts to ensure the failure of the tribunal's work will not succeed," added Zaki of two of the United States' closest Arab allies in the Middle East.
Monday's meeting came with tensions high in Lebanon over unconfirmed reports the UN tribunal is set to indict members of the Shiite group Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, in connection with Hariri's murder in 2005.
A retired Lebanese general, Jamil Sayyed, has alleged the UN probe is based on fabricated testimony aimed at implicating Syria and its supporters in Lebanon in Hariri's killing.
Damascus has consistently denied any involvement in the assassination, and last month, in a stunning about-turn, Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he had been wrong to point the finger at Syria.
Sayyed was one of four security generals who served four years in prison on suspicion of involvement in the murder. All four were released last year for lack of evidence.
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Copyright AFP 2010.
