A New Dawn for Lebanon?
STOUT: Now earlier we heard Nic Robertson's exclusive interview with the new Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Let's hear more from that interview.</s>ROBERTSON: You being called the Hezbollah prime minister, how do you respond to that?</s>MIKATI: I don't know why all this campaigning saying one that I'm from Hezbollah, second time that we are going to -- the international community we are in a complete face-to-face -- why all this (inaudible). I don't know why this play (ph).</s>ROBERTSON: Why do you think it's happening?</s>MIKATI: Why I'm thinking it's happening, because I believe people they have, since you mentioned the first Hezbollah, they resigned from the other government and now they participate in eliminating the other one, so maybe this. But I'm telling you, I can guarantee this, and I can make a full insisting in this, please, Najib Mikati they know his history, and please, please, please judge me on the actions.</s>ROBERTSON: Hilary Clinton has already said in the last few hours that a Hezbollah controlled government would -- or a Hezbollah influenced government would definitely lead to a change in the U.S.-Lebanon relationship. Does that worry you? Do you want to keep a good relationship with the U.S.?</s>MIKATI: I am keen to have the best relation with U.S. I can ensure Mrs. Clinton, and definitely I'm looking forward to see her soon, that this government is a government -- the main objective of this government is to maintain good relation with international community.</s>ROBERTSON: And today you said you were holding your hand out to the leaders of all the parties in Lebanon to join you in this government.</s>MIKATI: Why I'm saying this? I'm saying this because it is in the interest of Lebanon. We are in a deadlock. And this deadlock, I'm not participate -- I was not participating in this deadlock, but today I'm saying please let us put our hand to give more (inaudible) towards moving from this situation.</s>ROBERTSON: Without Saad Hariri, can you have -- can you establish a government that you're going to be happy with?</s>MIKATI: It's not a matter of happiness, it's not that it's good for Lebanon or not, definitely without Saad Hariri it will be another aspect of government. So if the parties of (inaudible) Saad Hariri decide to participate, I would like to make large cabinet where everybody will participate. If not, it will be another option to have either techno party (ph) third, to have mixed between politician and technocrats (ph).</s>ROBERTSON: Another problem facing Lebanon is the issue of the UN special tribunal on Lebanon to determine who it can bring to justice whomever killed Rafic Hariri, the former prime minister. That was why Hezbollah withdrew their ministers over this issue.</s>MIKATI: This is a very delicate issue, it has to be solved by dialogue and it should be consensus of all Lebanese in any decision we take on this. It is not the decision of Najib Mikati or anybody else.</s>ROBERTSON: Would you be happy at the end of the day if the government chose to withdraw its support from the tribunal?</s>MIKATI: Depends on the reasons and why we decide to do this. Anything related to stability, anything related to conflict definitely I cannot ask things that I think myself I can do it. It has to be done on a consensus basis. That's Lebanon. If you know Lebanon very well, it will have to all to agree upon any decision should be taken.</s>ROBERTSON: So Lebanon should just forget who killed Rafic Hariri and let him get off free?</s>MIKATI: No, I'm not saying this at all.</s>ROBERTSON: But it says --</s>MIKATI: I'm not saying this at all, I'm saying two (inaudible), one is international resolution and this tribunal is going to proceed regardless if Lebanon say yes or not.</s>ROBERTSON: If they --</s>MIKATI: No, that's one, that's a.</s>ROBERTSON: So if the Tribunal indicts members of Hezbollah, will you support the government and demand the government arrest these members of Hezbollah?</s>MIKATI: It's still a -- let's say if we don't have anything in dialogue meanwhile in Lebanon and we are maintaining -- Lebanon is a continuity (ph) system, it is not just there is a king of coup d'etat of changing government, I have to maintain and honor all previous government. And not coming here as coup d'etat at all. So I maintain this. There is not through decision taken by all Lebanese, I have to ask it what Lebanon say.</s>ROBERTSON: So the government here will then, if the tribunal points to certain members of Hezbollah, arrest them? Yes --</s>MIKATI: Definitely is -- agreement and this agreement still applied.</s>ROBERTSON: If the agreement still applied? What if Hezbollah doesn't want the agreement to apply? They're going to push you to change it.</s>MIKATI: Hezbollah, it's one of influential and important --</s>ROBERTSON: They collapsed the government and brought you to your position today.</s>MIKATI: They brought me not because just for the tribunal, not --</s>ROBERTSON: Excuse me --</s>MIKATI: I go back to this, they didn't brought me, they --</s>ROBERTSON: But they created the conditions for you to be here.</s>MIKATI: Not bring condition at all.</s>ROBERTSON: They created the conditions.</s>MIKATI: They are part of the nomination. They didn't bring me. I ask my candidate, I ask to be a prime minister and I called all parties. And one of the party I called is Hezbollah. And they accept. Any precondition for this needs to be clear. So -- and this is very important. I'm happy that saying this (inaudible) and international community. So I'm Lebanon, it will honor any agreement with any international resolution.</s>STOUT: And that was the newly appointed prime minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati speaking to Nic Robertson in an exclusive interview. Mikati saying he is not Hezbollah's man. He is independent of the movement. And he's also saying that the new government will serve all of Lebanon. Now we have more ahead here on NEWS STREAM including no more Rafa Slam. Raphael Nadal crashes out of the Australian Open. Don Riddell will have the latest on Rafa and much more sport next.