Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Daryl Mundis, concluded on Friday his official visit to Lebanon, announced the STL press office in a statement.

"I expressed my appreciation to the Lebanese officials I met with for their ongoing cooperation particularly through this challenging time. I also reminded them of their outstanding financial responsibilities to the Tribunal," said Mundis.

The resignation of the presiding judge of the international tribunal's trial chamber came over his objection to several measures that contradict the court's rules of procedure, As Safir daily reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper also claimed that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is prosecuting ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's suspected assassins, had issued an indictment against a fifth Hizbullah member but the case was closed.

Judge Robert Roth, presiding judge of the Trial Chamber, has resigned from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, announced the STL in a statement.

Roth joined the tribunal in September 2011 following a distinguished career in the judiciary as well as academia.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters, hand over its weapons to the state, become part of the Lebanese fold, and limit its losses, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Wednesday.

He told the daily: “I hope President Michel Suleiman and Primer Minister-designate Tammam Salam will assume their responsibilities until the very end because the fate of the state depends on what they do.”

Spokesman for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Marten Youssef stated that Lebanon has not yet provided its share of the funding of the tribunal for 2013, reported An Nahar daily on Wednesday.

He told the daily that he is confident that Lebanon will commit to its obligation to fund the STL as it had done since the tribunal was formed in 2009.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen on Friday issued an order setting January, 13 2014 as a new “tentative date” for the start of the trial in the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri and his companions, the STL said in a statement.

The rules of the tribunal require Fransen to set a tentative date, “which could change based on judicial developments,” the STL noted.

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, has appointed Daryl A. Mundis to the post of Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, announced the Tribunal in a statement on Wednesday.

Mundis accepts the position as Registrar with more than 15 years of experience in international criminal law. He served in the Chambers and Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and in the Office of the Prosecutor of the STL since August 2009. He is well acquainted with the overall functioning of international tribunals, having worked closely with the Registry in those roles. He was appointed Deputy Registrar at the STL on January 14 and as the Acting Registrar on April 18.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon President Judge Sir David Baragwanath and Vice-President Judge Ralph Riachy have been re-elected for a period of 18 months, the STL announced on Friday.

The judges of the Appeals Chamber, who met on Thursday, re-elected both Baragwanath of New Zealand and Lebanese judge Riachy, for the same time period starting September 1, said the statement.

Acting Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Daryl Mundis appointed Mr. Stephane Bourgon, Ad.E., of Canada as amicus curiae to investigate the three events that are the subject of allegations of contempt, announced the tribunal in a statement on Tuesday.

“The appointment follows the decision of the Contempt Judge David Baragwanath on April 29, 2013 to initiate proceedings in three incidents which could potentially be considered interference with the administration of justice through publication of alleged witness identities,” it added.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Judge Daniel Fransen will hold a status conference hearing on Wednesday, announced the tribunal in a statement on Monday.

“In conformity with the Rules of Procedures and Evidence of the STL, the pre-trial judge convenes such hearings to review the status of the case through an exchange between the parties in order to ensure expeditious preparation for trial,” it said.