Russia and another four members abstained in the vote at the 15-nation UN Security Council Wednesday, saying it could cause new upheavals in Lebanon, which has been in deep political crisis between the pro-Western government and the Syrian-backed Islamist opposition led by Hezbollah.
"Establishing the tribunal by a unilateral decision of the UN Security Council damages Lebanese sovereignty," Vitaly Churkin said, adding it violated international law.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora asked the UN Security Council to set up the tribunal in early May amid the political turmoil in the country.
The UN resolution will come into force June 10 unless the Lebanese parliament decides to establish the tribunal itself. The UN Security Council asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to take the necessary measures to set up the tribunal within 90 days together with the Lebanese government. Lebanon will nominate the judges. Churkin said the whole process could take a year.
Hariri, a strong critic of Syrian influence in Lebanon, died in a car bomb in Beirut. Neighboring Syria, implicated in a UN report, has denied involvement.
