Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Shiite group Hezbollah on Thursday blasted a UN Security Council resolution on setting up a tribunal to try suspects in the murder of ex-Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri.

In a press release in the day, President Emile Lahoud expressed doubt and disapproval of the court.

"I wonder whether UN Resolution 1757 which has endorsed the creation of such a tribunal would lead us to the truth, or would increase the already vague and blurred circumstances regarding the identity of the assassins and those who had masterminded all the killings," read the press release.

He went on to question the real intention of such a court. "The manner in which the tribunal was formed, especially that it had overstepped the Lebanese constitution and legal institutions, made some Lebanese groups and some brotherly and friendly states to express their skepticism and fears over the real reasons behind the setting up of such a tribunal, " said the press release.

Moreover, Lahoud added he wants to secure that "the court would be fair and impartial."

In another statement, the Hezbollah Muslim group also dismissed the resolution as a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon and an interference in its internal affairs, which made it "illegal and illegitimate both nationally and internationally." In addition, Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a leading member of the opposition, criticized the resolution Thursday, saying the UN Security Council had ignored the country's constitution in voting to set up the court.

The UN Security Council adopted the resolution on Wednesday to establish the international tribunal.

The resolution slated a grace period until June 10 for the Lebanese parties to ratify an earlier agreement reached in November by the United Nations and the Lebanese government to establish the court. Otherwise, the resolution's provisions shall enter into force immediately.

Lebanon is facing its worst crisis since the end of the 1975- 1990 civil war, being locked in a political impasse arose from the power struggle between the anti-Syrian bloc and the pro-Syrian opposition, with the issue of setting up of the international tribunal, along with the formation of a national unity government, being the two major points of contention.

Anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon have blamed Syria for Hariri's killing in Beirut in February 2005. Syria has denied any involvement.

Source: Xinhua