By Waseem Saifeddin
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Friday warned of "dangerous repercussions" if the international special tribunal for Lebanon halted its work due to a funding crisis.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Diab urged him to explore "different and alternative means of financing" the special tribunal investigating 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Diab expressed hope that the ongoing financial shortfall would not hinder the tribunal's functioning until its mandate was completed.
The Netherlands-based court on Thursday scrapped a session of new trial against Hezbollah member Salim Ayyash due to funding shortage.
The court is funded 51% by foreign and UN contributions, with the remaining 49% covering Lebanon, which has plunged into a severe and unprecedented economic crisis.
In March, the UN allocated $15.5 million to the court's work. Nevertheless, this amount is insufficient to ensure that the court's mandate is achieved.
Ayyash, whose whereabouts are unknown, was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in Hariri’s assassination case in December last year. Hariri was killed, along with 22 others, in a massive car bomb that targeted his convoy in Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005.
A Special Tribunal for Lebanon was formed in 2007 to probe the assassination and other cases of serious nature in the country.
*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara
