Syria Today | Hariri tribunal to begin in March 2009

Hariri tribunal to begin in March 2009

The UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend the investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on December 18. The decision comes three weeks after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced plans for the international tribunal to begin on March 1, 2009.

The vote came after chief investigator Daniel Bellemare asked for the investigating commission’s mandate, due to expire at the end of 2008, to be extended until February 28.

Discussing a report released earlier this month on the status of the investigation, Bellemare told the Security Council that his commission has uncovered new information that may link additional individuals to the network responsible for the truck bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on February 14, 2005.

To date, nobody has been charged with the attack in Beirut. Anti-Syrian critics in Lebanon accuse Syria of the assassination, an allegation Damascus denies. Four pro-Syria Lebanese generals have been held under arrest for the past three years by Lebanese officials for alleged involvement in the plot. Two employees of Liban Cell (now MTC Touch) are also being held in connection with the assassination, but have not been publicly named.

The first UN chief investigator into the case, Detlev Mehlis, alleged the killing’s complexity suggested that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services were involved. His two successors, however, have not repeated the charge and no suspects have been publicly identified.

Bellemare, whose latest report said Syria “has provided generally satisfactory cooperation”, said he would not provide any details from the investigation because “lives are at risk”.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on November 29, Ban said he hoped the tribunal would begin operating on March 1 in The Hague, the Netherlands. He added that its starting date depends on the response to a UN SYP 2.4bn (USD 51m) appeal to fund its operation. The monies will cover trial preparations, budgetary needs and the recruitment and training of tribunal staff.

“It is my belief that the impending start of the special tribunal will send a strong signal that the government of Lebanon and the UN remain committed to ending impunity in Lebanon,” Ban said.

Meanwhile, Egyptian-born Australian policeman Nick Kaldas has been appointed Chief of Investigations for the Special Tribunal of Lebanon responsible for trying suspects accused of the Hariri killing. He will take up the position in March 1.

Kaldas, who is fluent in Arabic, is the deputy commissioner of the New South Wales (NSW) police force. The 51-year-old has worked primarily in major crimes and counter-terrorism for the past 27 years. He also worked on the trial of Saddam Hussein.