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| STL indictments of Hezbollah members are meaningless: Larijani |
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TEHRAN - Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has said that the indictments issued against four Hezbollah members over the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri are meaningless, especially since the indictments were issued by a court dominated by the United States.
Larijani, who is in Azerbaijan on a three-day visit, made the remarks during a press conference at the Iranian Embassy in Baku on Saturday.
Asked about the accusations leveled against the Hezbollah members by the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), Larijani said Iran was well aware that the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon was seeking to impede the establishment of the government of Najib Mikati.
The U.S. ambassador intended to complicate the issue, but he could not achieve his aim because of the vigilance of Lebanese political leaders, such as Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Larijani added.
He went on to say that since the U.S. officials had been badly defeated by the Lebanese political leaders, they tried to fabricate a story and pressured the notorious court to issue indictments against Hezbollah members, but nobody paid any attention to the process because it was clear that the accusations were totally false and malicious.
“Why don’t the Americans try to investigate any of the murders committed in Gaza and Palestine? Why haven’t they facilitated the establishment of any tribunal for those crimes?” Larijani said.
Asked about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Larijani said Iran is ready to help resolve the conflict.
He stated that there are many rational ways the conflict can be resolved without the deployment of UN peacekeeping troops, adding that such a move would create more problems in the region.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- Russia, France, and the U.S. -- are currently mediating in the peace negotiations.
Larijani also said the best way to resolve the conflict would be for the countries to reach a mutual agreement, and regional countries can help the process through a defined framework.
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