Ban says Hariri tribunal ready to conduct trials

Daily Star - Ban declare que le Tribunal est pret a entamer des proces, March 15, 2008

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and related crimes will soon be a reality, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced on Thursday. Ban has reportedly informed the UN Security Council that preparations are complete for the start of trials. "The stage has begun for launching of trials," Ban said in a report to the Security Council. The process of establishing the Special Tribunal includes the selection of the judges, the appointment of the prosecutor, the finalization of a headquarters agreement with the Government of the Netherlands enabling the tribunal to be based in that country, and agreement on a building near The Hague to house the tribunal. The pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, which has obtained a copy of the report, said Friday Ban told the Security Council that judges were "soon" expected to carry out private contacts to facilitate drafting of procedural laws. He said the other judges will resume work "on a date I will set after consulting with the tribunal president." Al-Hayat reported that Ban emphasized the importance of "appropriate security measures" undertaken to safeguard the tribunal's staff. He said the general secretariat and the UN commission investigating Hariri's killing which is headed by Daniel Bellemare as well as experts from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia were working "hand-in-hand to develop a strategy to protect witnesses." US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad said last week that the international tribunal was ready to launch trials. "The UN has everything it needs for the first year to activate the tribunal," he said. "We are making good progress toward the establishment of the tribunal in a timely manner, as requested by the Security Council in Resolution 1757," Radhia Achouri, senior communications adviser to the UN's Office of the Legal Counsel, told The Daily Star Tuesday. The Security Council approved Resolution 1757 on May 30 last year to create the tribunal, which can also try suspects in the string of political killings and attempted assassinations following Hariri's killing on February 14, 2005. The UN commission investigating Hariri's assassination and others will submit its next report to the UN on March 27. Khalilzad also revealed that the US was one of the members of the management committee that would run the tribunal, although the committee is not to interfere in judicial matters. Other committee members include the UK, France, Germany, Holland and the UN, he said.