Hezbollah and its allies are pressing the government of Saad Hariri

The ministers of Hezbollah and its allies are threatening to walk out of the Lebanese unity government if their demands for the UN tribunal investigating the assassination of Rafik Hariri are not heard. "If the Cabinet does not meet, it means that there is no government, and the 11 ministers will submit their resignation today," said Wednesday the Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh , the Shiite movement Amal.

Hezbollah and its allies have ten ministers, but Mr. Khalifa was referring to an eleventh minister, a close ally of President Michel Suleiman, is a close associate of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. "The statement of resignation shall be in writing and delivered to 16 h 30 local time (15 h 30, Paris time)," said a source.

According to the Lebanese Constitution, the government, which currently has thirty ministers, collapses if more than one third of his ministers withdrew. On Tuesday, Hezbollah, which expects some of its components are indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, has given a deadline " a few hours "to the government of Saad Hariri to decide on" the court divides the country.

" Prime Minister Saad Hariri makes this week a series of meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, visiting the United States and the Saudi King, convalescing in the country. It must also meet U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss, among other STL, which should soon make his indictment in the murder.

Asked by Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based satellite channel, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that "justice is an important and stabilizing term in any society because if people live in fear, those who hold weapons can impose their law. Justice is necessary for stability. " Secretary of State has however stressed that "the government and people of Lebanon must demand accountability from individuals, not groups to which they belong".

"People must be judged as such" and not as a member of any political party, "she said.

• Obama to meet Lebanese PM Hariri Wednesday (12/01/2011)
• Hezbollah and allies to topple Lebanon government: source - Reuters (12/01/2011)
• Lebanon's Hezbollah, Allies to Quit Cabinet in Impasse (12/01/2011)
• Hezbollah to Resign From Lebanese Govt. (12/01/2011)
• Saudi, Syria fail to forge deal over Lebanon court (11/01/2011)

Saad Hariri (wikipedia)  Hezbollah (wikipedia)