Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has criticized parties that are "stronger than the state." Sfeir, on a visit to Australia, told the daily al-Mustaqbal Hizbullah's "force contradicts with authority of the state and its duty to spread its sovereignty."

Sfeir said "all factions claim to work for the nation's interest, but they look at Lebanon's interest through their own interests."

"Some factions head to Syria and Iran and get weapons and funds, others head to other states," he added.

"All factions should owe allegiance to Lebanon," Sfeir stressed.

He said the international tribunal "should proceed with its path and it shouldn't be hampered in its quest to expose those who had committed the crimes and punish them."

President Michel Suleiman, according to Sfeir, is a good person who wants the best for his homeland."