from BBC News BBC News - UN tribunal criticises Hezbollah leader's boycott call

The UN tribunal investigating the killing of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, says it expects full co-operation from the government.

A spokeswoman told the BBC the leader of the Shia Islamist group, Hezbollah, was attempting to obstruct its work.

She was reacting to an appeal from Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday for all Lebanese to boycott the inquiry.

Earlier this week, two UN investigators were attacked by a crowd in a Hezbollah-controlled suburb of Beirut.



On Thursday, the UN special envoy warned that Lebanon was in a "hyper-dangerous situation", and that if destabilised it would have "rippling effects across the region".

"This is the most critical issue of international peace and security today," Terje Roed-Larsen said, adding that all parties in the Middle East had to "stop all irresponsible and reckless rhetoric".
Hezbollah must not want the truth to come out in the investigation.... They do seem to hold quite a bit of control of Lebanon and the government there.