Britain to give $1.6 million to Hariri tribunal

LONDON // Britain is giving a further 1 million pounds (Dh5.9m) to a UN-backed tribunal set up to prosecute the assassins of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Britian's foreign secretary William Hague urged other nations to support the court, saying justice "is the only way to ensure long term stability" in Lebanon.

The tribunal was set up in 2007 to resolve political murders, including that of Hariri, killed in a 2005 truck bombing in Beirut.

It has met with suspicion in Lebanon, amid fears that indictments could re-ignite hostilities between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, particularly if Hizbollah Shiite militants are implicated.

The latest commitment, announced yesterday, brings Britain's contribution to 2.3 million pounds.