BEIRUT: Future Movement described the government’s funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as an acknowledgement by Hezbollah and the Cabinet of the legitimacy and importance of the court.

“This measure is an acknowledgement from all members of the government, primarily Hezbollah, of the importance of the tribunal, which we want in order to guarantee stability,” a statement released by the party’s press office said.

“The Lebanese who were never deceived by the games or talk know very well that Hezbollah recognized the legitimacy of the court today by funding it without resorting to the resignation of the government,” it added.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati Wednesday announced that he had transferred to the STL Lebanon’s share of its annual funding, which amounts to around $36 million, a move that averted the collapse of the government after Mikati had threatened he would resign if the funds were not approved.

Future Movement, headed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, has repeatedly urged the government to fund the court, which in late June indicted four Hezbollah members of involvement in the 2005 assassination of Hariri’s father, former statesman Rafik Hariri.

“Hezbollah is also responsible in this regard to follow up on the court's path and hand over the four accused in the killing ... to the Lebanese authorities so that [Lebanon] can fulfill its promise to the international community,” the statement added, describing the funding as a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea Wednesday urged Hezbollah to cooperate with the tribunal, which the resistance party has described as a U.S.-Israeli tool aimed at targeting the group and sowing sectarian strife in Lebanon.

“Hezbollah and its allies cannot claim that the tribunal is U.S.-Israeli anymore and if Hezbollah wants to retain credibility in the public’s eyes, then it should recognize the court first, hand over the accused and follow up on court proceedings within legal means,” he told reporters in his office in Maarab, north of Beirut.

The U.S. also welcomed the government's decision to fund the court Wednesday, with U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly saying that Lebanon's commitments to the court extend beyond the issue of funding. 

"[Connelly] noted that Lebanon's commitments to the tribunal extend beyond the issue of funding alone and fulfilling these commitments are important indicators of the government's commitment to both Lebanon's interests and its international obligations," a statement by the embassy said after Connelly met with Mikati at the Grand Serail earlier Wednesday.