The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, sought to gain European and Arab support for his efforts to prevent the impending announcement of indictments by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) from sparking off sectarian conflict in Lebanon. The STL, which is based in the Netherlands, was established by a UN Security Council resolution as a mixed international-Lebanese body tasked with bringing to justice those responsible for the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister and an iconic figure among the country's Sunni Muslims, in February 2005 and several related murders. Hizbullah, a Shia movement that is the strongest military force in Lebanon, has reacted to reports that its members are likely to be indicted by ratcheting up the pressure on the Lebanese government (of which it is a minority member) to renounce the STL. The government is underpinned by an accord between Syria and Saudi Arabia to guarantee stability.

Mr Assad held discussions during December with the leaders of France and Qatar, two other states that have made a strong commitment to upholding Lebanese stability. During his visit to Paris, where he held private talks with the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Assad said that every effort was being made to avoid sectarian conflict over the STL, but he also emphasised that this was ultimately a matter for the Lebanese and that Syria had no wish to intervene. During a subsequent visit to Doha, the Qatari capital, on December 14th, Mr Assad said that he had discussed with the Qatari emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, unspecified ideas about how to lessen tensions over the STL. He said that he was concerned that any indictments issued by the STL should be based on conclusive evidence and that the trial should not be politicised.