BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon paid its share of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's annual budget Wednesday, amounting to $36 million.

"This morning, I transferred Lebanon's share of the [budget for the] tribunal," Mikati said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

"Since I cannot be a prime minister for a government that does not comply with international resolutions, that’s why I transferred Lebanon’s share of the tribunal," Mikati said.

"This is a national decision to preserve Lebanon," he added.

Sources told The Daily Star the funds had come from the budget of the prime minister's office and were paid through the Higher Relief Committee.

There was no immediate response or reaction from Hezbollah or its March 8 allies.

He also urged the revival of national dialogue among rival politicians under the auspices of President Michel Sleiman.

Mikati said the funding decision should not be considered as a victory for one political team against the other “but rather a gain for the state and all the Lebanese without exceptions.

"The decision stemmed from my desire to protect Lebanon ... as people, army, and resistance, and also from my belief in the right to achieve justice, as [we]should not overlook an assassination of a former prime minister."

"This is a decision that reflects Lebanon's commitment to international resolution and reinforces confidence in Lebanon," he said.

The Netherlands-based court has indicted four Hezbollah operatives in connection with Hariri's murder but they have not surrendered to the court.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who has denounced the court as part of a US-Israeli conspiracy, has steadfastly pushed with his allies for Lebanon to cut all ties with the tribunal.

Hezbollah toppled the government of Saad Hariri, the slain leader's son, in January after he refused to stop cooperation with the court.

The premier said last week that he would rather quit than be head of a government that did not honour its international obligations.