WASHINGTON (AFP) ? The United States called Friday on Lebanon to comply with a UN-backed tribunal that issued indictments over Rafiq Hariri's assassination and urged calm amid fears of a Hezbollah backlash.
The Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon charged four members of the militant Shiite party over the former premier's 2005 killing. Lebanon's government has said it will search for them but proceed cautiously.
"We call on the government of Lebanon to continue to meet its obligations under international law to support the Special Tribunal," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement.
Clinton called the indictments "an important milestone" that offered "a chance for Lebanon to move beyond its long history of political violence and to achieve the future of peace and stability that the Lebanese people deserve."
"We understand that this is an emotional and significant period for all involved, and we call on all parties to promote calm and continue to respect the Special Tribunal as it carries out its duties in a professional and apolitical manner," she said.
Under the 2009 agreement between the United Nations and Lebanon setting up the tribunal, authorities have 30 days to serve out arrest warrants.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told AFP in Beirut that security services would meet Saturday to coordinate the search but that Lebanon had to "address this issue calmly and wisely to preserve the civil peace."
Hariri's murder set off a wave of major protests that helped drive Syria to withdraw troops stationed in Lebanon for nearly three decades. Syria denied widespread accusations of involvement in the assassination.
Hezbollah, a vociferous foe of Israel, is supported by Syria and Iran and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States.
Hezbollah earlier this year engineered the collapse of a Western-backed government led by the slain former premier's son, Saad Hariri, after he refused to end cooperation with the tribunal.
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