April 23, 2009 - Naharnet - Najjar: No Official Word from UAE on Siddiq Arrest

Lebanon has yet to receive official notification from the UAE confirming the arrest of a key suspect in the murder case of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, Lebanese Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said Thursday.The UAE has been mum on the issue since news of Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq's arrest first emerged in Gulf and Arab media on Sunday. "We do not have official information until now," Najjar said at a joint press conference with visiting French counterpart Rachida Dati.Siddiq, a former Syrian former intelligence officer, was detained in October 2005 in a Paris suburb after an international arrest warrant was issued against at Lebanon's request. He had been living in France until he disappeared in March 2008.On Thursday, the Lebanese daily As Safir said Siddiq, who was carrying a fake passport when detained, was handed over to Abu Dhabi authorities over fears he posed a threat to national security. Asked whether the UAE was required to notify Lebanon of the arrest, Najjar said: "It depends, first, on the laws of the country and the possibility of a clash with other legal systems in since there is more than one arrest warrant against (Siddiq)." Syria has also issued an arrest warrant against Siddiq."Second, the UAE is a sovereign country and has the right to decide which (side) to notify. This is why I cannot comment further on the case," he added.As Safir said Abu Dhabi authorities were still mulling whether to keep Siddiq in custody or to extradite him to Syria if Damascus officially requests it.U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokeswoman Suzanne Khan refused to comment on the report. "The tribunal has nothing to do with Siddiq's handing over and Belgian pre-trial magistrate Daniel Fransen did not order the arrest of anyone," she told As Safir.Newspaper reports in 2006 quoted Siddiq as saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad and his then Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud ordered Hariri's killing in a massive Beirut car bombing.