April 25, 2009 - Naharnet - Bellemare Sticks to April 27 Deadline

The international tribunal's general prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has asked pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen not to extend the April 27 deadline for announcing his decision regarding the fate of the top four security generals held in connection with the murder case of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.
Fransen had issued a ruling asking Bellemare to "either justify the need to keep the prisoners in Lebanon in custody or to order their release by April 27."

Informed sources told An Nahar daily in remarks published Saturday that Bellemare will officially inform Fransen about his decision on the four generals on Monday.

Sources in The Hague told As Safir newspaper that Fransen will announce his decision in the same week, probably Tuesday or Wednesday which means that the four generals could possibly be released either Wednesday or Thursday.

The four generals are Jamil Sayyed, Ali Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan who respectively headed the General Security Department, the Internal Security Forces, Military Intelligence and the Presidential Guards Brigade.

Meanwhile, the interior ministry announced that it received from the justice ministry a copy of the "Order on Conditions of Detention" issued by the Special Tribunal's president Antonio Cassesse.

The ministry said it immediately referred the order to the general directorate of the internal security forces for implementation of Cassesse's decision.

The cabinet, in its turn, discussed the issue of a Memorandum of Understanding between Lebanon and the court.

An Nahar quoted ministerial sources as saying that the relations between the two sides should be settled ahead of an expected visit by the tribunal's president to Lebanon.

However, March 8 ministers refused again to sign the MoU, agreeing to give the justice minister the authority to coordinate with the court.