The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Thursday rejected charges by Hizbullah that its work is politically motivated.
"Experience of other international tribunals has shown that the results of the work of such institutions speak for themselves and contradict the unsubstantiated allegations of hostile interference," Fatima Issawi, spokeswoman for the STL said Thursday.

"We are convinced that this will also happen in the case of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon," she added.

Asked about the anticipated indictment which has become a controversial topic in Lebanon, Issawi said: "It would be quite unhelpful to add to the existing speculations. The Office of the Prosecutor will issue an indictment when it is ready."

Answering a question on the probability of Hizbullah or the Lebanese government refusing to hand over any possible indicted suspects, Issawi stressed that the government had an obligation to respond to the tribunal's requests.

"Though we certainly hope it would not come to that, the absence of an accused will not prevent the tribunal from conducting proceedings and examining evidence against those who may be indicted," Issawi said.

"The final results of STL's work, rather than unfounded allegations or speculation, can be the only basis for assessing its effectiveness," STL's spokeswoman answered to a question on whether Hizbullah's allegations had affected the tribunal's credibility.

As to media reports about a possible funding problem STL would face soon, Issawi said: "So far there has been no indication that funding will be reduced in any way."