U.S. seeks Lebanon tribunal vote early next week

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States is pressing for the United Nations to authorize early next week a court to try the suspected killers of a former Lebanese prime minister, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said on Wednesday.

With U.N. headquarters in New York closed on Monday for the U.S. Memorial Day holiday, the earliest that a Security Council resolution setting up the court, requested by Lebanon's government, could be adopted is Tuesday.

Pro-government Lebanese leaders accuse Syria of killing former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and 22 other people with a bomb in 2005. Damascus denies involvement.

The special tribunal is at the heart of a deep political crisis in Lebanon, whose parliament has not approved the plan because its speaker, who disputes the legitimacy of the government, has refused to convene the chamber.

But Western leaders say it is essential to try those who murdered Hariri and have pressed ahead with the plan, acting on a May 14 request by Fouad Siniora, the current premier.

The United States and European countries circulated a draft resolution last week. "At this point, our thinking is to get this to a vote ... early next week," Khalilzad told Reuters in an interview.

Leaders in Lebanon's ruling coalition accuse the opposition, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, of acting on Syrian orders to derail the court.

Western diplomats do not expect anyone in the 15-nation Security Council to veto the resolution, but said some members were reluctant to go ahead just on the basis of Siniora's request and might favor a last bid to win parliament approval.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States have veto power in the council.

The main question mark is over Russia, a long-time ally of Syria. "I can't say that they (the Russians) ... are on board, but I also am not trying to say they are opposed to going forward on it," Khalilzad said.

Khalilzad is current president of the Security Council.

Some Lebanese have warned that setting up the court could spark fresh unrest. "I'm not dismissing the potential risks," the U.S. envoy said, but added that if no court were set up there could be "further political assassinations, deadlock."

Khalilzad accused Berri of "not acting as a speaker of parliament" by not convening the assembly and of "blocking the will of the elected people ... he is using it for a group interest in competition with other groups."

"The responsibility will be theirs (the Lebanese opposition) not the Security Council's for anything there that happens," he added.

Diplomats said the proposed resolution would establish the court but not spell out how it would operate. Key details, including where it would be based, remain to be decided.