March 31, 2010 - L'Orient le jour - TSL : on cherche à alimenter la psychose

Par Lélia Mezher |
Anticipant sur le discours attendu aujourd'hui de Hassan Nasrallah, des milieux proches de l'ex-opposition s'emploient à alimenter la psychose d'un « nouveau 7 mai politique » au sujet des travaux du Tribunal spécial pour le Liban. Face à ces tentatives, le Premier ministre a reçu l'appoint précieux du patriarche Sfeir qui a plaidé pour que la vérité se fasse, « quel qu'en soit le prix ». Les municipales ont par ailleurs été le sujet d'une rencontre nocturne Hariri-Aoun.

March 31, 2010 - L'Orient le jour - TSL : on cherche à alimenter la psychose

Par Lélia Mezher |
Anticipant sur le discours attendu aujourd'hui de Hassan Nasrallah, des milieux proches de l'ex-opposition s'emploient à alimenter la psychose d'un « nouveau 7 mai politique » au sujet des travaux du Tribunal spécial pour le Liban. Face à ces tentatives, le Premier ministre a reçu l'appoint précieux du patriarche Sfeir qui a plaidé pour que la vérité se fasse, « quel qu'en soit le prix ». Les municipales ont par ailleurs été le sujet d'une rencontre nocturne Hariri-Aoun.

March 31, 2010 - Alakhbar - Rule 74

الاربعاء 31 آذار 2010 العدد – 1080
عدل
القاعدة 74: مضبطة اتهام «سرّيّة»

بلمار من صقيع كندا الى حرارة الشرق الاوسط الحارقة (أرشيف ـــ هيثم الموسوي)
لعلّ أبرز ما يثير القلق في عمل المحكمة الدولية الخاصة بجريمة اغتيال الرئيس رفيق الحريري يرد في قواعد الإجراءات والأدلة. فالقاعدتان 74 و117 تفتحان أبواب لاهاي أمام «العمل السرّي»
عمر نشّابة
بعيداً عن «تسريبات» المحكمة الدولية الخاصة بجريمة اغتيال الرئيس رفيق الحريري إلى إعلاميين وسياسيين، التي يرفض المدعي العام الدولي التحقيق بشأنها، نعرض شكليّات مضبطة الاتهام ومحاذيرها. نبدأ بعرض قاعدتين أساسيتين من قواعد الإجراءات والأدلة تثيران قلقاً على عدالة المحكمة وشكوكاً بصدقيّة معلومات «سرّية» قد تُستخدم في مضبطة الاتهام: القاعدة 74 والقاعدة 117. تنصّ الأولى على أنه «في ظروف استثنائیة، وبناءً على طلب من المدعي العام أو الدفاع، یجوز لقاضي الإجراءات التمهیدیة، وفقاً لما تقتضیه مصلحة العدالة، أن یأمر بعدم إعلان قرار الاتهام للعموم أو أی مستندات أو معلومات مرتبطة به إلى أن یصدر أمر آخر بذلك». وبالتالي يمكن أن يلجأ دنيال فرانسين، بناءً على طلب دنيال بلمار أو فرنسوا رو، إلى الاحتفاظ بسرّية مضبطة الاتهام. إن الحالات التي تدفع نحو اتخاذ إجراء كهذا قد تشمل اتهام أشخاص مرتبطين بمجموعة تتمتّع بنفوذ كبير وشعبية عارمة وقوة عسكرية هائلة. وقد تسهّل سرية مضبطة الاتهام توظيفها سياسياً وإعلامياً. وما هو لافت أكثر من ذلك في نصّ القاعدة 74 هو إجازتها إعلام «سلطات دولة معيّنة» من دون غيرها. إذ جاء في النصّ: «یجوز للمدّعي العام الإعلان عن قرار الاتهام أو عن جزء منه لسلطات دولة معیّنة إذا رأى في ذلك ضرورة لغرض التحقیق أو الملاحقة».
لم تحدّد القاعدة 117 «المصالح الأمنية» للدول، فهل من بينها مصالح إسرائيل؟
أما القاعدة 117 فمضمونها ينافس «العمل السرّي» في مضمون القاعدة 74. فتذكر أن احتمال أن يؤدي الإبلاغ عن معلومات بحوزة المدعي العام «إلى المساس بالمصالح الأمنیة لإحدى الدول أو لإحدى الهیئات الدولیة، یجوز للمدعي العام الطلب من قاضي الإجراءات التمهیدیة في غرفة المذاكرة، وبصورة غير وجاهیة، إعفاءه كلیاً أو جزئیاً من موجب الإبلاغ» (القاعدة 117). لم تذكر القواعد كيفيّة تحديد «المساس بالمصالح الأمنية»، ما قد يشمل العمل الاستخباري والمناورات السياسية وأموراً أخرى تدخل في ما كان وليد جنبلاط قد سمّاه «لعبة الأمم». ولم تحدّد القواعد «الدول»، فمن بينها ربّما إسرائيل مثلاً؟
إجراءات المضبطة وشكلها
بعد اقتناع بلمار بوجود أدلة كافیة تظهر أن مشتبهاً فيه ارتكب جریمة من شأنها أن تدخل ضمن اختصاص المحكمة، یحیل قرار الاتهام إلى فرانسين لتصدیقه ویرفقه بالعناصر المؤیدة. وإذا كانت المضبطة تشمل جريمة غیر جريمة اغتيال الرئيس رفیق الحریري، فعلى بلمار أن يرفقها بطلب یتعلق بتلازم الجريمة مع جريمة اغتيال الحريري. وهنا يأتي دور رئیس قلم المحكمة هيرمان فون هابل الذي یحیل مضبطة الاتهام والمستندات المرفقة به إلى فرانسين الذي یُعلم بلمار بالتاریخ المحدد للنظر في قرار الاتهام.
وتتضمن مضبطة الاتهام اسم المشتبه فيه والمعلومات الشخصیة عنه وسرداً موجزاً لوقائع القضیة. ونتيجة لتدقيق فرانسين يجوز له أن یطلب من المدعي العام تقدیم عناصر إضافیة مؤیدة لإحدى التهم أو لجمیعها، و/أو مؤیدة للطلب المتعلق بتلازم جريمة مع جريمة اغتيال الحريري. أو قد یصدّق فرانسين المضبطة من دون طلبات إضافية أو یردّها أو يردّ جزءاً منها (تهمة أو أكثر).
وبعد تصديقه على المضبطة، يصدر قاضي الإجراءات التمهیدیة دعوة للحضور، أو مذكرة توقیف. ووفقاً للمادة 18 الفقرة 2 من النظام الأساسي (القرار 1757) «يجوز لقاضي الإجراءات التمهيدية، بناءً على طلب المدّعي العام، أن يصدر الأوامر والمذكرات لاعتقال الأشخاص أو نقلهم».
ويبلغ فون هابيل السلطات الوطنیة في دولة أو عدة دول نص إعلان لنشره في الصحف و/أو لبثّه في الرادیو والتلفزیون و/أو وسائل الإعلام وشبكة الإنترنت، یُعلن بموجبه وجود مضبطة اتهام وینذر المتهم بتسلیم نفسه. وقد یتضمّن الإعلان دعوة إلى كل من یملك معلومات عن مكان وجود المتهم لإطلاع المحكمة علیها.
________________________________________

استدعاء «الشهود»
تجيز قواعد الإجراءات والأدلة لقاضي الإجراءات التمهیدیة، بناءً على طلب المدعي العام، أو تلقائیاً، أن یصدر دعوة للحضور یوجهها إلى مشتبه به أو متهم أو شاهد. كذلك تجوز له دعوة شاهد بناءً على طلب من الدفاع. ویُبلّغ رئیس قلم المحكمة نسخة مصدقة عن الدعوة للحضور إلى الشخص المعني بها أو إلى السلطات الموجهة إلیها الدعوة، بما فیها السلطات الوطنیة للدولة التي یقیم المشتبه به أو المتهم أو الشاهد على أرضها أو ضمن ولایتها القضائیة أو من الممكن أن یكون فیها. ویمكن أن تحدد الدعوة للحضور مكاناً آخر غیر مكان مقر المحكمة لیمثل فیه المشتبه به أو المتهم أو الشاهد.
المستغرب في هذه المعلومات الواردة في نصّ القاعدة الـ78 من قواعد الإجراءات والأدلة عدم التمييز بين المشتبه به والمتهم والشاهد إلا في طلب الدفاع. ويذكر في هذا الإطار أسلوب بوليسي يعتمد على استدعاء مشتبه به على أنه شاهد وتحويله من خلال مضمون شهادته إلى متّهم.

March 31, 2010 - Daily Star - STL interrogations of Hizbullah spurs fears of clashes

By Patrick Galey

BEIRUT: The row brewing over the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) intensified on Tuesday, as Hizbullah warned against involving the party in investigations. Ahead of Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s anticipated statement on Wednesday, party sources told Al-Akhbar newspaper that the speech will advise prosecutors to follow alternative lines of inquiry. “The real message that Sayyed Nasrallah wants to send to everyone in Lebanon and the world is that involvement in the issue of accusation against the party will ultimately lead to a political May 7,” sources were quoted as saying in reference to the clashes between Hizbullah and pro-government gunmen which descended on west Beirut and areas of the Chouf in May 2008. Nasrallah is also expected to state that any attempt to link Hizbullah with the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri will be dealt with as Israeli fabrications, the sources added. “All officials involved with the international investigation into Hariri’s assassination locally, regionally and internationally” will be informed of Hizbullah’s stance toward the STL, the paper reported. MP Alain Aoun, a member of the Change and Reform bloc, sought to temper the rhetoric of the sources quoted by Al-Akhbar in an interview with Future News. Aoun rejected the idea that Nasrallah was against the work of the STL. “However, Nasrallah is against the politicization of the court,” Aoun said, adding that the tribunal was right in not leaking to the press information that may prejudice the investigation. Tawheed Movement head Wi’am Wahhab reiterated his criticism of the UN tribunal, suggesting Tuesday that the United States set political targets for STL investigators. In an interview published by Kuwaiti daily Al-Anbaa, Wahhab said “[The tribunal] is politicized and serves US interests.” He suggested that the questioning of three Hizbullah members by STL prosecutors was the result of pressure exerted from Washington. “Lebanon faces today a new lie that accuses Hizbullah cadres of being implicated in Hariri’s assassination,” Wahhab said. The former environment minister had sparked controversy by suggesting that STL investigators were seeking to question as many as 20 Hizbullah members and would even seek to connect Imad Mughniyeh, the party’s military commander – killed in a Damascus bomb in 2008 – with the death of five-time premier Hariri. Wahhab continued his onslaught against the STL, suggesting that the court had “lied earlier in the case of the four generals,” referring to Lebanese security chiefs who were released by STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare in March 2009 after being held without charge for four years. “The STL is trying to justify its work through issuing periodic reports in order to maintain its budget, especially after it announced the innocence of the four generals,” he was quoted as saying. The STL was set up to find and try the perpetrators of billionaire Hariri’s assassination. He was killed along with 22 others when his motorcade was struck by a massive car bomb in Beirut on February 14, 2005. Blame for the killing has been suggested by many to lie with Syria but Damascus has repeatedly denied any involvement in the crime. The tribunal has been plagued by allegations of politicization since its inception last year. The Office of the Prosecutor was forced last week to issue a statement appealing for an end to speculation on issues relating to investigations, labeling rumors on suspects “unhelpful.” Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir took the opportunity in an interview with the pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat to defend the work of the STL. “It is necessary that the STL conclude its work no matter what the price is,” he was quoted as saying. “The STL is supposed to be just and nothing has been proved to us as otherwise. “Justice is justice and [the STL’s] role is to punish criminals. If this tribunal is just it should do its work,” he added.

March 31, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Nasrallah refuses accusations in Hariri’s murder

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah confirmed during an interview with Al-Manar television Wednesday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s office of the prosecutor summoned 12 of his party members. He added that the tribunal will summon six others, but Hezbollah is in the process of verifying whether they are members or just affiliated with the party.

However, Nasrallah said the members were summoned as witnesses and not as suspects. Among them was a cultural official and another who deals with Palestinian-Hezbollah relations, he said.

The Hezbollah chief criticized media reports accusing his party of being behind the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and noted that the STL has not once accused a Hezbollah member of the killing.

“But we do not know what might happen in the future.”

Nasrallah said that the accusations following Hariri’s death were political, and Israel was the first to point its finger at Hezbollah.

“Israel failed to eliminate the party during the 2006 July War, and Hariri’s assassination became their final weapon and their last card to play against the Resistance.”

Nasrallah also said some STL employees are leaking information to the media and holds the STL and the Office of the Prosecutor responsible.

There are internal conflicts inside the STL, he added.

Nasrallah said the objective is to distort Hezbollah’s image and pressure and intimidate the party, adding, “They might be trying to pressure Hezbollah to concede and accept a deal.”

He also stated that he refuses all accusations in Hariri’s murder against his party and its members.

Nasrallah said the International Independent Investigative Commission (IIIC) was not committed to keeping its investigation secret and focused on one hypothesis from the very beginning, which is that Syria and the four Lebanese generals – who were in the STL’s custody but released last year – murdered Hariri.

“The commission gathered false witnesses to try and prove their hypothesis.”

He also said that a high-ranking official in the IIIC proposed to former General Security Director Jamil as-Sayyed – one of the four generals– with a deal but was turned down.

Nasrallah stated that in order to again trust the investigation, it is necessary to try the false witnesses and those who backed them to guarantee that there will be no more foul play.

Even though the Hezbollah chief did not accuse Israel of Hariri’s murder, he said that “whoever says it is an unlikely [scenario] is insulting Rafik Hariri.”



He said his party is concerned with knowing the truth, with stopping the “misled investigation” and with assisting to put it back on the right track.

Hezbollah will cooperate with the STL, otherwise, it will be suspected of being behind Hariri’s assassination, said Nasrallah. However, he added that if there are more leaks and the false witnesses remain protected, he has the right to take a different stance.

Nasrallah commented on the 2007 US-Internal Security Forces cooperation agreement, saying it should be annulled due to its dangerous nature.

Nasrallah said that the agreement allows the US to interfere in the ISF whenever it pleases, enforces the US’ definition of terrorism to categorize the ISF officers, insults the Lebanese cabinet by setting conditions that US aid cannot be used for drug trafficking or illegal acts.

“Training ISF members is a good thing, but what they are being taught is dangerous.”

According to Nasrallah, Hezbollah did not target ISF Director General Ashraf Rifi or Interior Minister Ziad Baroud.

Rifi attempted to resolve some issues pertaining to the agreement by contacting the US embassy and saying Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, said Nasrallah. He added that President Michel Sleiman, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri should also take such an initiative.

Nasrallah commented on the national dialogue sessions, saying, “[They] are crucial even if they do not lead to quick results, and national consensus is not a precondition to defend our homes.”

He also said Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s Wednesday visit to Syria is in Lebanon’s interests.

Nasrallah touched on the upcoming municipal elections, saying his party is open to holding the elections on time and to postponing them.

However, he said it would be better to postpone the elections for a couple of months to adopt the draft municipal electoral law.

He said that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement will run together in the elections, which, he added are for development purposes and not based on popular support.

Villages must be unified in light of the recurrent Israeli threats.

Nasrallah said he supports a system of proportional representation only in big towns and not small ones.

For more of the interview, please click here.

-NOW Lebanon

March 30, 2010 - Annahar - Interview with STL spokesman

الثلاثاء 30 آذار 2010 - السنة 77 - العدد 24001
قضاء وقدر
"النهار" وعاشوري تنفيان مزاعم
عن الناطقة باسم المحكمة الخاصة
أصدرت امس إدارة التحرير في جريدة "النهار" البيان الآتي:
"اورد احد المواقع الالكترونية خبرا مختلقا نسب فيه الى احد محرري "النهار" من دون ان يسميه مزاعم تتهم الناطقة باسم المحكمة الدولية الخاصة بلبنان فاطمة العيساوي بانها مصدر التسريبات التي وصلت الى عدد من الصحف والمواقع الالكترونية عن استدعاء اشخاص الى التحقيق.
يهم "النهار" ان تنفي الخبر الكاذب خصوصا انها لم تنشر هذه التسريبات المزعومة، كما يهمها ان تؤكد ان كل ما تحصل عليه من المصادر المعنية بالمحكمة في اطار عملها المهني تنشره من دون اجتهاد فيه، وتحتفظ بحقها في ملاحقة الموقع الالكتروني المذكور بالوسائل القانونية".
واتصلت "النهار" بالناطقة باسم مكتب المدعي العام للمحكمة الخاصة بلبنان راضية عاشوري التي نفت "نفيا قاطعا الاتهامات الموجهة الى السيدة فاطمة العيساوي بان يكون لها علاقة بما تتعاطاه وسائل الاعلام حول مكتب المدعي العام، ونرفض اي اتهام لها". وقالت: "ان هذه الاتهامات سخيفة وتافهة وعارية تماما من مجرد شبهة الصحة. فلا احد من الاجهزة الاخرى في المحكمة لديه معلومات عن مكتب المدعي العام، والسيدة العيساوي، شأنها شأن جميع هؤلاء، لا تعلم اي شيء عن التحقيق، وبالتالي كيف لها ان تسرب ما ليست مطلعة عليه اصلا؟ ان هذه الاتهامات هي محض افتراءات في حق سيدة كفوءة".
واضافت عاشوري: "ان السيدة العيساوي تقوم بعملها بمنتهى المسؤولية والنزاهة والاحتراف والكفاءة وبمستوى عال، ولدينا ملء الثقة بها وبكل العاملين في المحكمة. ان مكتب المدعي العام يرفض ان تساق تهم على لسانه سواء للعاملين في المحكمة او خارجها".



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جميع الحقوق محفوظة - © جريدة النهار 2010

March 30, 2010 - The Washington Institute - Beirut Spring: The Hariri Tribunal Goes Hunting for Hizballah

By David Schenker

Last week in Beirut, the United Nations Special Tribunal charged with investigating and prosecuting the killers of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri brought six members of Hizballah in for questioning. The tribunal's decision to interview Hizballah in connection with the 2005 murder appears to confirm a 2009 report in Der Speigel -- corroborated more recently by Le Monde -- implicating the Shiite militia in the conspiracy. A shift in the short-term focus of the investigation from Syria to Hizballah will have a profound impact on domestic politics in Lebanon, and potentially on U.S.-Lebanese relations.
Background

Since the February 2005 assassination of Hariri and the establishment of the UN-mandated inquiry into the killing, the primary public focus of the investigation has been on Damascus. Indeed, the first report of the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) in October 2005 "conclud[ed] that ... many leads point directly towards the involvement of Syrian security officials with the assassination." Although no mention was made of Hizballah in the commission's quarterly reports through 2009, the organization -- allied historically with Damascus -- expressed strong opposition to the formation of the IIIC and bolted from the cabinet in protest of the government's decision to support its establishment.

Then, in May 2009 Der Spiegel published an article that reported in great detail on how Hizballah operatives participated in the murder, and how the IIIC had discovered the connection. Apparently, one of the militia's operatives "committed the unbelievable indiscretion" of calling his girlfriend from a mobile phone used in the operation, enabling the investigators to identify the man. The revelations contained in the Der Spiegel article sent shock waves through Beirut.

Questioning Hizballah

Because Lebanon was embroiled in a civil war from 1975 to 1990, the prospect that Shiites might have killed the leader of the state's Sunni Muslim community has prompted grave concern. Given the sensitivities, since last May Hizballah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly denied the story. Most recently, in February 2010 he characterized the Der Spiegel and Le Monde pieces as an Israeli "accusation."

Notwithstanding Nasrallah's protests, Hizballah is struggling increasingly to dissociate itself from the Hariri plot. Last week's well-publicized questioning of members of the organization's security apparatus by the UN tribunal has once again refocused attention on an alleged Shiite role in the murder. According to the Lebanese satellite television station al-Jadid, among others, last week's tribunal interviewees included senior Hizballah officials al-Hajj Salim and Mustafa Badreddine. Salim reportedly heads one of the organization's special operations units, which was run by military commander Imad Mugniyah until his assassination in February 2008; Badreddine, Mugniyah's brother-in-law, heads the militia's counterintelligence unit.

The IIIC interviews generated some interesting responses from supporters of Hizballah (and Syria), most notably former Lebanese cabinet minister Wiam Wahab, who predicted that fitna, or civil conflict, would ensue if the tribunal proceeded on course. During a meeting with the Spanish ambassador to Lebanon, Wahab also suggested that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) might be targeted if the tribunal was "politicized" -- in other words, if it continued to pursue Hizballah suspects. Wahab's mention of UNIFIL, which operates in Hizballah-controlled southern Lebanon, amounted to an unmistakable threat to the envoy: Spain's UNIFIL contingent has been attacked twice in recent years.

Unfortunate Timing

For the pro-West March 14 coalition in Lebanon, the allegations of Hizballah involvement in the murder should come as little surprise. Not only would the militia have had the capacity to carry out the operation, its close allies in Damascus had the motive. Members of the coalition had also been at odds with Hizballah for years, and particularly so since the Hariri assassination and the subsequent Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. At the same time, a Hizballah connection to the crime would not in any sense absolve Syria -- which then occupied and controlled Lebanon -- of culpability.

Yet the IIIC's targeting of Hizballah comes at an awkward time for the March 14 leadership. Although the coalition won national elections this past summer -- and with this victory, the opportunity to form a government -- the opposition compelled the majority, led by Rafiq Hariri's son Saad, to establish a national unity government to include members of the Shiite militia and provide the organization with preponderant influence. Strange bedfellows indeed.

Worse, in the months following the election, the March 14 coalition, which had remained fairly stable since its establishment in 2005, started to fray as its leading international backers in Washington and Riyadh sought rapprochement with Damascus. Consequently, in recent months both Saad Hariri and the March 14 coalition's influential Druze leader Walid Jumblat have looked to mend fences with Hizballah and Syria. In the case of Jumblat, the price for this accommodation has been to apologize publicly for his anti-Syrian disposition of recent years, request forgiveness from Syria's Bashar al-Asad regime, and embrace -- at least rhetorically -- Hizballah's "resistance" agenda.

Pursue or Jettison the Tribunal?

For Jumblat, who cut his teeth as a warlord during the Lebanese civil war, rapprochement with Syria was a simple choice between justice and chaos. Given the IIIC's change of focus to Hizballah, Jumblat sensed that implicating the militia in the crime could present a threat to the fragile state's stability. While the Druze leader has not repudiated the tribunal publicly, he appears to be hoping that indictments will not be forthcoming.

For Rafiq's son Saad, the calculations are different. As the current leader of Lebanon's Sunni community, Saad cannot afford politically to forgive and forget the reported transgressions of Hizballah. Indeed, Saad Hariri's motto since 2005 has been al-haqiqa -- "the truth" -- an allusion to the necessity above all else to find out who killed his father. While Saad demonstrated a sense of pragmatism by visiting Syria this past December, the prospect of forgiving his father's killers would be less palatable.

In addition to domestic considerations, Hariri and his government's support (or lack thereof) for the tribunal could have an impact on Lebanon's foreign relations. Because the tribunal was established by the UN, if the government fails to meet its obligations, then Beirut could encounter bilateral difficulties with Washington and Europe. Clearly, the government of Lebanon is not in a position -- and likely would not be expected -- to render subpoenaed Hizballah suspects to the IIIC. But how would the UN respond if Hizballah were able to engineer the defunding of Lebanon's $23 million annual financial obligation to the tribunal from the state's Ministry of Justice?

Conclusion

With two years remaining in its current mandate, the IIIC will probably issue indictments by the end of this year. The threshold for charges in the international criminal court is so high that convictions almost always result. Given the attendant risks, should the tribunal indict even low-level operatives, it is doubtful that Hizballah will allow the accused to live, much less stand trial.

At the end of the day, if hearings do occur, they will likely be held in absentia. Given the severity of the charges and the credibility of the technical evidence the IIIC is slated to present for the indictment and leading up to the trial, for most observers, whether a judgment is ever rendered will matter little. In any event, even without a trial -- and regardless of the predictable claims of "politicization" -- indictments alone would cause further damage to Hizballah's carefully cultivated image in the region and stress the already tenuous sectarian modus vivendi in Lebanon.

It will be more difficult -- both from an evidentiary and a political standpoint -- for the IIIC to establish connections between the Hariri murder, Damascus, and Tehran that would sustain further indictments. For Washington and the credibility of the tribunal institution, however, it is important that the investigation be given time to unfold. In this context, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is instructive: even with an abundance of eyewitnesses, the ICTY took nearly a decade to complete.

No doubt, the regional consequences of indictments could be severe and wide-reaching. In a prediction that suggests either prescience or insider information, in April 2007 -- just two years into the investigation -- Syrian president Bashar al-Asad warned UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon that the tribunal "could unleash a conflict which would degenerate into civil war and provoke divisions between Sunnis and Shiites from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea." Contrary to Asad's recommendation, the answer is not to bury the investigation in the name of "stability" but rather to pursue the killers doggedly and punish them, thereby attaching a price to the routine practice of political assassination in Lebanon.

David Schenker is the Aufzien fellow and director of the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute.

March 30, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Sfeir says STL should carry on with its work no matter what

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir told As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) proved that it is fair, adding that it should carry on with its work no matter what.

Sfeir also said that the STL should not be politicized and should reveal the truth about the murder of several Lebanese officials, including former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The patriarch added that the March 14 alliance will persevere, despite Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s split from it in August 2009. He admitted that the alliance’s performance has somehow deteriorated, “however, this does not mean that the coalition has been dissolved.”

Sfeir also touched on the criticisms launched against President Michel Sleiman, saying that some were planning to remove Sleiman from his post and replace him, in a reference to Tawhid Movement leader Wiam Wahhab’s recent call on Sleiman to resign.

According to Sfeir, Syria withdrew its army from Lebanon in 2005, however, it can still interfere in the country’s domestic affairs through Damascus’ Lebanese allies.

“Some Lebanese want Syria to return to Lebanon so as to further their personal interests,” said Sfeir, adding that Lebanon’s interests lie in building good relations with its neighbors.

The patriarch also said that some Christian leaders criticize him because he refuses to adopt their points of view, in reference to the Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun. Relations between Sfeir and Aoun soured in 2006 after the latter signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hezbollah.

Sfeir commented on “the fragile situation” in Lebanon, saying the country should have only one army. However, he did not elaborate further.

He denied that Hezbollah threatens the Christian community, however, he called on Lebanese government to place all arms under state control.

-NOW Lebanon

March 30, 2010 - Naharnet - Phalange Party: Refrain of 'Politicizing STL' Has Returned as if Some Sides Fear Justice

Phalange Party on Monday noted "the return of the refrain of politicizing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as if some sides fear the judgment of justice and are trying to anticipate the verdicts by casting doubt over the impartiality of the tribunal and its integrity."
In a statement issued after its weekly meeting under party leader Amin Gemayel, Phalange's politburo called on all parties "to respect the work of the tribunal," noting that Phalange Party "which lost two of its leaders, martyrs (ex-minister) Pierre Gemayel and (ex-MP) Antoine Ghanem and their companions, has not uttered accusations without a definite evidence because it considers every suspect as innocent until proven guilty."

The party called on everyone to hold onto this presumption of innocence principle.

On the other hand, Phalange Party reiterated "its insistence on holding municipal elections on time for many reasons: respecting constitutional deadlines, obligations and the principle of power rotation without using reforms as a plea in case they were not adopted."

The party also stressed the need "for the State to facilitate the issue of administrative appointments," warning against "delaying or obstructing them using the alibi of inventing new mechanisms."

Furthermore, the party expressed dismay over "the meager outcome of Libya's Arab summit regarding the major challenges and regarding divisions among Arab monarchs and presidents on decades-old axioms, especially regarding the Palestinian cause that is witnessing a dangerous juncture threatening the fate of peace and what is left of Palestinian rights."

"Arabs should have benefited from the current U.S.-Israeli dispute to unify their stances and corner Israel so that world powers and the United Nations commit more and more to the peace process.

"Overbidding at the expense of the Palestinian people, and even at the expense of Lebanon, dominated the speeches and resolutions," Phalange's statement added.

March 30, 2010 - L'Orient le jour - Hariri à Sofia : Nous nous opposerons de manière ferme à toute tentative de torpiller le tribunal

Par Michel TOUMA

Visite officielle Au cours d'une conférence de presse tenue à Sofia à l'issue de son entretien avec son homologue bulgare, le Premier ministre Saad Hariri a répondu implicitement à ceux qui brandissent la menace de troubles si le tribunal international poursuit sur la même voie qu'il semble s'être tracée. « La vérité (sur les assassinats) est un paramètre important pour la stabilité », a-t-il affirmé, inversant ainsi l'équation de ceux qui prêchent le contraire.

En visite officielle à Sofia depuis dimanche après-midi, le Premier ministre Saad Hariri a eu hier, lundi, des entretiens au pas de charge avec le président de la République bulgare, Georgi Parvanov, le Premier ministre, Boyko Borissov, la présidente du Parlement, Tsetska Tsacheva, avant de conférer en soirée avec les ambassadeurs arabes accrédités en Bulgarie et les membres de la communauté libanaise, lesquels lui ont réservé un accueil particulièrement enthousiaste. En début de soirée, vers 20 heures, M. Hariri a regagné Beyrouth.
Les réunions tenues hier par le chef du gouvernement avec les dirigeants bulgares ont été principalement axées sur des dossiers politico-sécuritaires, tandis que parallèlement, les hommes d'affaires libanais, qui ont accompagné M. Hariri lors de sa visite, rencontraient les représentants du secteur privé bulgare afin d'examiner dans le détail les opportunités du renforcement des relations économiques bilatérales, notamment en ce qui concerne les possibilités d'investissements de part et d'autre. Ce volet de la coopération a d'ailleurs été largement discuté lors des entretiens officiels de M. Hariri avec son homologue bulgare, Boyko Borissov, qu'il a qualifié d'« homme pragmatique, qui désire agir rapidement afin de renforcer la coopération économique » entre les deux pays. Dans le cadre de sa nouvelle politique d'ouverture tous azimuts avec la Turquie et le monde arabe, la Bulgarie souhaite en effet que le Liban, particulièrement M. Hariri, mette à profit son vaste réseau de contacts et d'amitiés pour lui servir de tremplin en direction du Golfe.
En sus de ce volet économique, il a été également question de coopération au niveau de la lutte contre le terrorisme. Une question qui était d'ailleurs d'une brûlante actualité après les attentats de Moscou que les deux Premiers ministres ont vivement stigmatisés au cours de la conférence de presse conjointe qu'ils ont tenue en fin de matinée au terme de la réunion de travail qui a groupé les deux délégations au siège de la présidence du Conseil bulgare, située à quelques mètres seulement de la présidence de la République et de l'hôtel Sheraton où logeaient M. Hariri et l'ensemble de la délégation libanaise.
Cette conférence de presse a fourni l'occasion au Premier ministre d'adopter une attitude ferme au sujet de l'évolution de l'action du Tribunal spécial pour le Liban (TSL). À une question de L'Orient-Le Jour sur les informations et les déclarations mettant en garde contre des troubles et un dérapage sécuritaire au cas où le Tribunal poursuivrait son action sur la voie qu'il semble s'être tracée, M. Hariri a déclaré : « Les forces de l'ordre, l'armée et les Forces de sécurité intérieure sont parfaitement en mesure de préserver la sécurité des Libanais. Toute tentative de porter atteinte à la sécurité du Liban sera réprimée d'une main de fer par les forces militaires et par le gouvernement d'union nationale. Il ne saurait être question de mettre en danger la sécurité du Liban. Nous nous opposerons de manière stricte et ferme à toute tentative de torpiller le tribunal international ou de porter atteinte à la sécurité du Liban. »
M. Hariri a mis l'accent dans ce cadre sur la « grande crédibilité » dont jouit le TSL au Liban. Et de souligner sur ce plan : « Le Liban a demandé la formation de ce tribunal car nous voulons connaître la vérité et savoir qui a assassiné tous les martyrs du Liban, de Rafic Hariri à tous ceux qui sont tombés du fait des assassinats durant la révolution du Cèdre. Ce tribunal œuvre avec sérieux en se basant sur les preuves et les faits afin de tourner cette page noire de l'histoire du Liban. La vérité (sur les assassinats) est un facteur important pour la stabilité au Liban afin que les esprits se calment et que l'on sache la vérité sur la série d'assassinats qui se sont étalés sur trente ans. Enfin, il existe un tribunal qui jugera ceux qui ont tué et qui ont assassiné pour des raisons politiques et terroristes, et nous accepterons tout verdict prononcé par le tribunal. »

La lutte contre le terrorisme
Après avoir, par ailleurs, vivement stigmatisé les attentats de Moscou et présenté ses condoléances au peuple et au gouvernement russes, M. Hariri a souligné que ces attentats mettent en relief « l'importance d'une coopération dans la lutte contre le terrorisme qui ne connaît ni frontières ni religion ». En réponse à une question sur le fait de savoir si ses entretiens avec son homologue bulgare avaient porté sur la coopération sur le double plan sécuritaire et de la lutte contre le terrorisme, M. Hariri a déclaré : « La lutte contre le terrorisme est un devoir pour tout État qui désire se débarrasser du terrorisme. Des réunions auront lieu à l'avenir (entre le Liban et la Bulgarie) afin de développer nos relations bilatérales, notamment dans le domaine de la lutte contre le terrorisme. »
Le Premier ministre bulgare a déclaré de son côté à ce sujet : « Lorsque les chefs de gouvernement entreprennent d'échanger des informations, cela signifie que les services de sécurité des deux États coopéreront également entre eux avec le même sérieux. »

La paix et la coopération économique
Au début de la conférence de presse, M. Hariri avait évoqué le volet politico-diplomatique de sa visite à Sofia, soulignant que la Bulgarie, en tant que membre de l'Union européenne, « peut mettre l'accent sur la nécessité d'aller de l'avant dans le processus de paix ». « Les gens ont tendance à oublier que la situation au Proche-Orient n'influe plus uniquement sur la zone géographique de la région, a-t-il déclaré. Les retombées de l'échec diplomatique des efforts visant à aboutir à un règlement du conflit arabo-israélien se feront ressentir sur la vie de chacun de nous, au Proche-Orient, en Europe et dans le monde entier. La raison en est très simple, à savoir que chaque fois qu'une nouvelle colonie est construite à Jérusalem-Est, une nouvelle personne extrémiste apparaît. À chaque fois que nous échouons à rassembler les factions, nous réussissons à éloigner une personne modérée, et les résultats ne peuvent qu'être catastrophiques. »
De son côté, le Premier ministre bulgare a relevé que la position de son pays est similaire à celle de l'Union européenne concernant la nécessité d'une solution juste en vue d'aboutir à une paix au Proche-Orient et en ce qui concerne aussi « le programme nucléaire iranien qui suscite des appréhensions au niveau de l'UE et des États-Unis ».
Au plan économique, le chef du gouvernement bulgare a débuté son intervention, lors de la conférence de presse conjointe, en soulignant que « la famille Hariri est connue à travers le monde arabe ; et la visite du président Hariri en Bulgarie est suivie par le monde arabe car le Liban joue un rôle pivot dans le rétablissement de la confiance et dans le flux d'investissements du Moyen-Orient vers la Bulgarie ». « Nous sommes heureux d'avoir la possibilité aujourd'hui de concrétiser ce qui avait été évoqué par le passé lors de la visite du père du président Hariri, le président Rafic Hariri, en Bulgarie il y a quelques années. Aujourd'hui, nous pouvons progresser sur la voie d'une application concrète. »
Après avoir réaffirmé la volonté de son pays d'« attirer les investissements, ce qui est très important à l'ombre de la crise économique », Boyko Borissov a mis l'accent sur la nécessité d'une coopération entre les deux pays pour « protéger le secteur privé », indiquant que son gouvernement encouragera les entreprises bulgares à « participer à la reconstruction du Liban pour ce qui a trait au secteur de l'électricité ». Et d'ajouter que son pays a « négligé au cours des dernières années nos relations traditionnelles avec le monde arabe ». Précisant qu'il fallait dépasser cette phase, le chef du gouvernement bulgare a affirmé que les entretiens des dernières vingt-quatre heures avec M. Hariri « nous donneront des clés supplémentaires pour notre coopération avec le monde arabe, et cette visite aura un écho au niveau du monde arabe et facilitera nos contacts avec lui ».
Pour sa part, M. Hariri a déclaré qu'après son adhésion à l'UE, la Bulgarie est « dans une situation qui lui permet de développer ses potentiels économiques ». « Il existe suffisamment de points communs entre nos deux économies pour développer des relations plus étroites dans l'intérêt des deux pays », a-t-il ajouté, précisant que les hommes d'affaires bulgares peuvent bénéficier d'opportunités d'investissements au Liban « dans les domaines de l'électricité, des ressources hydrauliques, du réseau routier, des télécommunications et de l'immobilier ». Et le Premier ministre de conclure en soulignant que le Liban bénéficie d'un « réseau de relations avec plusieurs pays arabes, et nous œuvrerons à encourager ces pays à connaître la Bulgarie, de même que nous ferons connaître le monde arabe à la Bulgarie ».

March 30, 2010 - L'Orient le jour - Hariri : La vérité sur les assassinats, un facteur important de stabilité

Par Michel TOUMA

Le Premier ministre Saad Hariri a achevé hier soir une visite de vingt-quatre heures en Bulgarie. Au cours d'une conférence de presse conjointe avec son homologue bulgare, il a affirmé que la vérité sur les assassinats perpétrés « lors de la révolution du Cèdre » et ces « trente dernières années » est « un facteur important de stabilité », soulignant que « nous nous opposerons de manière ferme à toute tentative de torpiller le tribunal international ».

March 29, 2010 - Daily Star - Hizbullah chief vows to address allegations of STL interrogation

Wahhab warns against politicization of Special Tribunal
By Patrick Galey

BEIRUT: Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowed to respond to allegations that Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) prosecutors had begun questioning Hizbullah members about involvement in the killing of former Premier Rafik Hariri.


“I will most probably speak in the few coming days about the reports and circulations concerning the international investigation and questioning of Hizbullah members as well as the path of the investigations and all things related to this issue,” Nasrallah was quoted as saying by the Al-Manar news website.


“I will say what I think is appropriate to say at this stage so that people understand the issue,” Nasrallah added.


It is expected that Nasrallah will give a statement to Al-Manar television on Wednesday.


Also over the weekend,Tawheed Movement leader Wi’am Wahhab attacked on Sunday the United Nations’ probe into Hariri’s assassination, warning that the tribunal was at risk of becoming politicized.


Following a meeting with Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon Juan Carlos Gafo at his residence in Jahlieh, Wahhab expressed his skepticism over the motives of the STL.


“We don’t trust the STL or its work and we have expressed that over the years,” he said.


“Ever since the four former security chiefs were released, there has been a necessity for the STL not to be politicized because it will lead to the destruction of Lebanon,” he added in reference to the Lebanese intelligence officers who were held for four years before their release under prosecutor’s orders when the STL began operations in March 2009.


Wahhab suggested last week that the tribunal was seeking to speak with 20 party members and even suggested investigations were exploring the possibility that former Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh – himself killed in Damascus in 2008 – was involved in the assassination.



According to UN Security Council Resolution 1757, the STL can compel Beirut to hand over Lebanese citizens for questioning by prosecutors, although media reports have suggested that Hizbullah’s cooperation with investigators would be unlikely.


The spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare was forced to release a statement as rumors swirled, condemning media hearsay as “unhelpful.”


“Anything reported by persons other than the Prosecutor or his Official Spokesperson are mere speculation and should be treated as such,” Bellemare’s press office statement said.


Wahhab said on Sunday he and Gafo had discussed several elements of the STL’s inquiry, “including the latest leaks.”


“We stress to the ambassador that Spain and other European states play a role in opposing the politicization of the STL and its decision,” he said. “This will turn Lebanon, UNIFIL and maybe other UN institutions into a mailbox that the US can use to put pressure on Hizbullah and Iran after it has failed in pressuring Syria in the last couple of years.


“Therefore, this matter ought to be solved before it is too late and it is the duty of the international community to exert pressure so that the STL is not turned into a US tool.”


The STL has been plagued by accusations of politicization since its inception last year, with many commentators suggesting its progress has been stymied by a series of high-profile resignations by lawyers involved in the case.


It is tasked with finding the killers of Hariri, who was assassinated by a massive car bomb that struck his motorcade in Downtown Beirut on February 14, 2005.


Last week, STL investigators began filming a 3-D scene from the area in which Hariri was slain. Allegations of responsibility have been laid at Syria’s door but Damascus has repeatedly denied involvement.

March 29, 2010 - L'Orient le jour - Réponse implicite de Kassem à Wahhab : « Nous n’avons pas besoin de porte-parole »

Le bureau des relations extérieures du Hezbollah a annoncé hier que le secrétaire général du Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, accordera une entrevue, mercredi prochain, à la chaîne de télévision al-Manar au cours de laquelle il évoquera les récents développements sur la scène libanaise et arabe, notamment la question relative au Tribunal spécial pour le Liban, les rumeurs portant sur la convocation de membres du Hezbollah, la position du parti chiite relative à l'accord sécuritaire conclu avec les États-Unis, ainsi que la question des menaces israéliennes. Le dignitaire chiite abordera également le sujet des élections municipales et le développement des relations libano-syriennes.
Également au menu, la question de Jérusalem et le projet visant à sa judaïsation, précise le texte du communiqué.

Réponse à Wahhab ?
Anticipant l'entrevue de Hassan Nasrallah et dans ce qui est apparu comme une réponse implicite adressée à l'ancien ministre Wi'am Wahhab, le numéro deux du parti chiite, cheikh Naïm Kassem, a déclaré hier : « Nous sommes suffisamment courageux pour faire part de nos propres positions, et personne de l'extérieur du parti ne peut être considéré comme étant notre porte-parole. »
Il convient de souligner que, dans une déclaration, le chef du parti al-Tawhid, Wi'am Wahhab, avait indiqué qu'il « ne faisait pas confiance au Tribunal spécial pour le Liban ».
« Il est nécessaire que le TSL ne se transforme pas en outil politique avec l'objectif évident de déstabiliser le Liban », a poursuivi M. Wahhab. Selon lui, cela ne peut que se répercuter sur l'ensemble du climat dans le pays, et « notamment sur les institutions internationales se trouvant sur son territoire ».
« À ce moment-là, personne ne pourra plus contrôler la situation », a-t-il dit dans une allusion à peine voilée aux forces de la Finul postées au Liban-Sud.
M. Wahhab, qui s'exprimait à l'issue de sa rencontre avec l'ambassadeur d'Espagne, Juan Carlos Gafo, a indiqué avoir évoqué avec lui les « rumeurs » portant sur les activités du TSL au Liban et « les objectifs politiques visés » par cette juridiction internationale, affirmant devant son visiteur la nécessité pour les États européens, et notamment l'Espagne, « de jouer un rôle afin d'empêcher la politisation du tribunal, car, a-t-il dit, le Liban, la Finul et toutes les institutions relevant de l'ONU risquent de devenir une boîte aux lettres que les Américains chercheraient à activer par le biais du TSL pour faire pression sur le Hezbollah et l'Iran », a-t-il dit. Et M. Wahhab de lancer un appel exprimé en direction des « États puissants, notamment au sein des Nations unies, et de l'ensemble de la communauté internationale » les invitant à « faire pression sur les Américains pour les empêcher de transformer le TSL en un outil politique qu'ils manipuleraient à leur guise ».

March 28, 2010 - Naharnet - Nasrallah to React to Leaked Info about Hizbullah Men Summoned in Hariri Murder

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said he will make a stance on the information leaked to the press about Hizbullah members being summoned for questioning over the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.
Several media outlets had said that Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor-General's Office has ordered to summon six Hizbullah members to hearing in the Hariri case.

Al-Jadid TV said among the Hizbullah members requested to be summoned were Abdul Majid Ghamloush, al-Hajj Salim, Mustafa Badreddine and Qassem Suleiman.

It said the investigation committee confirmed that Hizbullah was willing to cooperate with the international tribunal "which it welcomes in its southern suburbs bastion in order to find the truth."

On Thursday, Tawheed movement leader Wiam Wahab said that according to leaked information, the STL is accusing slain Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh of involvement in Hariri's assassination.

STL Office, however, responded to ongoing speculations, pointing to the flurry of speculations on its work reported by the media and attributed to 'unidentified sources,' some of which are described as 'well informed sources' and 'sources close to the investigation.'

The Prosecutor's Office "considers speculations on the state of progress of its work and the date of issuance of an indictment quite unfortunate and unhelpful as they can only confuse the public," said a statement by Radhia Achouri, spokesperson for STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare.

"Regarding information leaked to the media about the summoning of Hizbullah members and the path of this current investigation, and where all this can reach, I will might have something to say in the coming days, God willing," Nasrallah said in a statement issued by Hizbullah.

Before the tribunal was set up, a U.N. commission of inquiry said it had found evidence to implicate Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services in the Hariri murder, but there are currently no suspects in custody.

The assassination has widely blamed on Syria although Damascus has repeatedly denied any involvement.

March 28, 2010 - Naharnet - Qassem Snaps Back at Rumors over STL: We're Not Impotent and We're Not Ashamed to Voice Our Opinion

Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem on Sunday snapped back at the circulated media reports about Hizbullah members being summoned for questioning over the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.

Several media outlets had said that STL Prosecutor's Office has ordered to summon six Hizbullah members to hearing in the Hariri case.

"Some are speaking of information leaked by the STL, but we're not impotent and we're not ashamed to talk about our stance or to voice our opinion," Qassem said at a ceremony in Bekaa, stressing that "others do not speak in Hizbullah's name and if we wanted to say a certain thing, we'd speak and reveal the facts because we're used to being honest with people."

On the other hand, Qassem stressed that "the results of the municipal elections will not change the political status quo or scene in Lebanon," noting that "the party is with holding elections on time and under any law."

"But if political stability in the country implies postponing these elections -- in order to incorporate some reforms – then we prefer the delay," he added.

Qassem said that Hizbullah has decided to coordinate with its ally, AMAL Movement, in all Lebanese regions in municipal elections.

"Therefore, we'll seek, along with all families and existing political forces, for the elections to take place with the least possible tension," he added.

As to Israel's latest crossing of the technical fence in the South, Qassem stressed that Israel crossed the fence for the sake of al-Wazzani's water," wondering "what has the U.N., the Security Council and the international community done" in this regard.

"Doesn't this crossing represent a hostile violation against Lebanon?"

March 28, 2010 - ILoubnan - Wahab meets Spanish ambassador and warns against politicizing STL

Tawheed Movement leader Wiam Wahab met on Sunday with the Spanish Ambassador Juan Carlos Gafo where they discussed the Spanish contingent’s role in UNIFIL in South Lebanon.

Following the meeting, Wahab warned against, “Politicizing the international tribunal demolishes Lebanon and turns UNIFIL into a mailbox.”

“The matter needs to be resolved before it is too late. UN member-states should increase pressure in a bid to forbid the US from using the STL as a tool,” Wahab said.

March 28, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Wahhab: I do not trust the STL or its work

Tawhid Movement leader Wiam Wahhab said he does not trust the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) or its work, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Sunday.

“The STL should not be used as a political tool to sabotage Lebanon,” Wahhab said, adding that the STL’s work will affect state institutions in the country.

Wahhab’s remarks came after a meeting with Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon Juan Carlos Gafo. The two men discussed the Spanish contingent’s role in UNIFIL in South Lebanon, according to Wahhab.

Spain and other European states need to ensure the non-politicization of the STL, the Tawhid Movement leader told Gafo.

“The matter needs to be resolved before it is too late. UN member-states should increase pressure in a bid to forbid the US from using the STL as a tool [for its interests],” Wahhab said.

-NOW Lebanon

March 28, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Qassem says Hezbollah not ashamed of discussing STL’s alleged summoning

“We are neither incapable nor ashamed of discussing and expressing our opinion,” said Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, in reference to reports of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) summoning Hezbollah members for its investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

He added that if they wanted to, Hezbollah would discuss the matter.

Qassem touched on the upcoming municipal elections, saying the outcome will not change the “political equation or political scene” in the country.

He reiterated the party’s support for holding the elections as scheduled and “based on any law.” The current electoral law calls for citizens to be invited to vote by April 2 and for the first round of the elections to be held by May 2.

However, Hezbollah prefers delaying the elections if their postponement helps bring more political stability to Lebanon, added Qassem.

He also said Hezbollah, during the elections, will partner with the Amal Movement.

-NOW Lebanon

March 28, 2010 - Press TV - Hezbollah to elucidate Hariri Tribunal probe

Hezbollah will discuss reports on international inquiries about the members of the Islamic movement over the murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in the next few days.

Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah made the announcement on Friday, during the annual ceremony held by the Imam Mahdi Scout in its twenty-fifth anniversary at the Seyyed al-Shohada' complex in Beirut's southern suburb.

"I would most probably speak in the few coming days about the reports and circulations concerning the international investigation and questioning of Hezbollah members as well as the path of the investigations and all things related to this issue," the Lebanese cleric declared.

"I will say what I think is appropriate to say at this stage so that people [will] understand the issue," al-Manar news website quoted him as saying.

A team from the Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon has reportedly questioned members of the resistance movement in connection with the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Premier Hariri.

Lebanese judicial officials said a number of Hezbollah members were interviewed in Beirut, among dozens of other people who could have information about the killing.

Hezbollah has rejected any involvement in Hariri's assassination, describing any such allegation as a politically-motivated "Israeli accusation."

March 27, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Not just Mugniyah, Wahhab claims Iran also being linked with Hariri murder

In an interview with As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper published on Saturday, Tawhid Movement leader MP Wiam Wahhab expanded on his claim earlier in the week that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is leaking information that it is attempting to link former Hezbollah official Imad Mugniyah – who was assassinated in Syria in 2008 - with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is also being linked to the investigation, he said.

Wahhab said the alleged move comes after the STL failed to accuse Syria of being involved in the 2005 assassination.

The Tawhid Movement leader also said that the STL is calling in 15 Hezbollah officials for interrogations.

The MP criticized STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare for failing to take internal Lebanese balance and the sensitivity between Sunni and Shia Muslims into consideration.

Wahhab said Bellemare is responsible for the STL information leaks, but said the leaks have no purpose.

-NOW Lebanon

March 27, 2010 - ILoubnan - Hezbollah says Nasrallah may soon comment over STL reports

BEIRUT - Hezbollah issued a statement on Saturday that its secretary general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said during a scouts event that he might comment within the coming days on the latest reports on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), including those on the tribunal’s interrogation of Hezbollah members.

March 26, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Nicolas says Khazen’s accusations are “unjustified and immoral”

Change and Reform bloc MP Nabil Nicolas during an interview with NBN television on Friday slammed former MP Farid Haikal al-Khazen for his Thursday statements against Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, saying they were unjustified and immoral.

Khazen accused Aoun of being a liar after the FPM leader accused him of corruptly operating factories in the Mountain areas of Hrajil and Jeita.

Nicolas touched on reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s investigative team contacted Hezbollah members for interrogation. He said that questioning does not equate to accusing someone, noting that no official announcement had been issued on the summoning.

STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s office issued a statement on Friday dismissing reports of speculations on the tribunal and describing them as “unfortunate and unhelpful as they would only confuse the public.”

Nicolas touched on the ongoing discussion over the cabinet’s proposed municipal reforms, saying the relevant parliament commissions – the Defense, Interior and Municipalities, Administration and Justice, as well as Finance and Budget—are not taking the matter seriously.

-NOW Lebanon

March 26, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Zahra: LF will not voice position on reports of Hezbollah’s involvement in Hariri murder

Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra told Future News on Friday that the LF will not voice its position on reports that Hezbollah was involved in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Politicians should not discuss information pertaining to the investigation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) out of respect, he added, in a possible reference to reports that the tribunal requested to interrogate Hezbollah members.

He reiterated the LF’s reservations on an article published in German magazine Der Spiegel in May 2009, which quoted an unnamed sources as saying STL investigators believed Hezbollah was behind Hariri's murder.

Zahra also said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Wednesday statements during the interview with Al-Jazeera television were conflicting. According to Zahra, the Syrian president insisted that his country plays an important role in Lebanese politics, which, the MP said, is unacceptable.

Assad’s rhetoric did not have any indication that his country wants to deal with Lebanon on equal footing, Zahra said.

However, he voiced support for PM Saad Hariri’s expected visit to Damascus as well as for establishing good bilateral ties.

-NOW Lebanon

March 26, 2010 - Ya Libnan - UN team asked to quiz 6 Hezbollah members over Hariri murder

An international team investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri has requested to question six Hezbollah members about the crime, a security source said on Thursday.

A suicide truck bomber killed Hariri and 22 others in Beirut in February 2005. A U.N. investigation into the assassination first implicated Syrian and Lebanese officials but later held back from giving details of its findings.

Last May German magazine Der Spiegel said that according to information it had obtained, investigators believed Hezbollah was behind Hariri’s killing, allegations the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Shi’ite group roundly rejected.

“They have asked to question six people from Hezbollah about the crime of the assassination of the martyr Rafik al-Hariri,” the source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

Hezbollah declined to comment, as did judicial officials in Beirut. Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the investigating Special Tribunal’s prosecutor, also declined to comment.

“As long as we are still at the investigation stage we will not be disclosing this sort of information, so no comment,” she told Reuters in Amsterdam.

Last year the Hague-based U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which began operations in March 2009, ordered the release of four pro-Syrian generals who had been held in connection with the case after saying it had no evidence against them.

At the time, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the generals’ release was conclusive proof the international investigation had been unfair.

Hariri’s assassination plunged Lebanon into its worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Sunni-Shi’ite tensions threatened to boil over into a civil war last year.

The “March 14″ alliance led by Sunni Muslim Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has accused Syria of responsibility for his father’s assassination and several other later killings of Lebanese opponents of Syrian influence.

Syria denies the allegations but Hariri’s killing sparked an international outcry that forced Damascus to end three decades of military presence in Lebanon. The special court has yet to indict anyone for the killing.

The international investigation was established by the U.N. Security Council, which Hezbollah regularly accuses of bias. Syria’s allies in Lebanon, led by Hezbollah, have expressed concern the court could be used politically against them.

Saad has said he would accept the verdict of the Special Tribunal into the murder even if it clears Syria, toning down his anti-Syrian rhetoric since the establishment of the court.

March 26, 2010 - Naharnet - Bellemare's Office: Speculations on Investigation Unhelpful, STL Doesn't Argue its Case Through the Media

The Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Friday responded to ongoing speculations on its work."The Office of the Prosecutor takes note of the flurry of speculations on its work reported by the media and attributed to 'unidentified sources,' some of which are described as 'well informed sources' and 'sources close to the investigation.' The Office of the Prosecutor considers speculations on the state of progress of its work and the date of issuance of an indictment quite unfortunate and unhelpful as they can only confuse the public," said a statement issued by Radhia Achouri, spokesperson for STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare.

"The Office of the Prosecutor takes strong exception to any allegation or insinuation that it is deliberately leaking information to the press and strongly emphasizes that the communications policy of the Prosecutor is a disciplined and responsible one that places paramount importance on the integrity of the work of his Office and the process he is leading as well as on public confidence," the statement added.

"As a matter of principle, the Office of the Prosecutor does not argue its case in or through the media. If the Office wants to share information with the public, it does so publicly and on the record."

OTP stressed that anything reported by individuals other than the Prosecutor or his official spokesperson "are mere speculations and should be treated as such."

"Nobody else is authorized to speak on behalf of the Office of the Prosecutor," the statement warned.

"The Office of the Prosecutor underlines that any unauthorized disclosure by anyone entrusted with the confidential details of the work of the Prosecutor is a very serious matter and those found to be in violation of this trust will be held accountable."

March 26, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Bellemare dismisses reports on STL

Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s office issued a statement on Friday dismissing reports of speculations on the tribunal’s work, saying they are “unfortunate and unhelpful as they would only confuse the public.”

It added that Spokesperson for the prosecutor of the STL Radhia Achouri is the only one authorized to speak on behalf of the STL regarding its work.

“Any unauthorized disclosure by anyone entrusted with the confidential details of the work of the prosecutor is a very serious matter, and those found to be in violation of this trust will be held accountable,” said the statement.

The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) also said that it “takes strong exception to any allegation or insinuation that it is deliberately leaking information to the press,” adding, “It is not the STL’s policy to leak information to the media.”

The statement said that one of OTP’s key priorities is to safeguard the confidentiality and the integrity of the investigation.

-NOW Lebanon

March 26, 2010 - Now Lebanon - UN panel asks to quiz Hezbollah on Hariri murder

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) team investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri requested to question six Hezbollah members about the crime, a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters on Thursday.

Last May, German magazine Der Spiegel said that according to information it had obtained, investigators believed Hezbollah was behind Hariri's killing, allegations the Syrian—and Iranian-backed— Shia group roundly rejected.

Hezbollah declined to comment on the interrogation request, as did judicial officials in Beirut. Radhia Achouri, spokesperson for the STL’s prosecutor, also declined to comment.

"As long as we are still at the investigation stage, we will not be disclosing this sort of information, so no comment," she told Reuters in Amsterdam.

-Reuters/NOW Lebanon

March 26, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Is Lebanon scared of the Hariri tribunal?

By Michael Young

Tawhid Movement leader Wiam Wahhab has sent Lebanon and the Special Tribunal a message from Syria. (Archive)
If there were lingering doubts that it was Syria that leaked information to the German magazine Der Spiegel last year indicating that Hezbollah had participated in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, they were dissipated when the preeminent Syrian megaphone in Beirut, Wiam Wahhab, informed us this week that an investigating team from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon had interviewed Hezbollah members.

Wahhab’s message was simple: Accusing Hezbollah in the killing of Hariri could have dire consequences for Lebanon, as it might provoke a confrontation between Sunnis and Shia. While Lebanon officially continues to support the work of the tribunal, you will hear more frequently these days that many Lebanese officials quietly agree with Wahhab. They really just want the Hariri case to go away.

That has long been the calculation of the Syrians. In a meeting between Bashar al-Assad and the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, in April 2007, Syria’s president implicitly linked Hezbollah to the Hariri crime. His words were leaked to the French daily Le Monde, where Assad was quoted as saying that instability in Lebanon “will worsen if the special [Hariri] tribunal is established. Particularly if it is established under Chapter VII [of the UN Charter]. This might easily cause a conflict that would degenerate into civil war, provoking divisions between Sunnis and Shiites [sic] from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea ... This would have serious consequences beyond Lebanon.”

The exchange told us many things. First, that if Syria was so keen to prevent a tribunal under Chapter VII, that meant it had something to hide. It also told us that Assad was aware that Hezbollah might have participated in the assassination of the former prime minister, since why else would he have brought up, completely out of the blue, the possibility of a Sunni-Shia civil war? In turn, this might explain why, when Assad was ignored and the tribunal formed under Chapter VII anyway, the Syrians perhaps decided that everyone needed a stronger dose of reality and leaked the information to Der Spiegel.

What Wahhab did, doubtless at the instigation of Damascus, was to bring the message home once more, now that the prosecutor of the Lebanon tribunal, Daniel Bellemare, has decided to take more witness statements, including those of Hezbollah members. For what the Syrian regime fears most is that an accusation against the party might take a roundabout route that eventually leads in its own direction.

After all, the Syrians have carefully read the reports of the UN investigators over the years. Recall that in his first report in March 2006, the then-head of the United Nations commission, Serge Brammertz, atypically provided interesting information when he wrote: “The Commission believes that there is a layer of perpetrators between those who initially commissioned the crime and the actual perpetrators on the day of the crime, namely those who enabled the crime to occur.”

In other words, there was a suicide bomber; there was a group of individuals who surveyed Hariri’s movements, and this appears to be where Hezbollah comes in; and there were those who commissioned the operation, and it doesn’t take much to guess who they were. But when Brammertz failed to initiate an aggressive police investigation in Syria, the UN was left to focus on Lebanese participation in the crime.

Criticism has been directed at the UN investigation for Brammertz’s unwillingness to conduct a real police investigation in Syria when he was at his post between 2006 and 2008. However, that should not mean the Lebanese are off the hook. If Bellemare does manage to put out an indictment against Lebanese parties, will the government in Beirut be willing to bear the consequences? After four years during which the tribunal was front and center in the political debate, especially in the rhetoric of the March 14 coalition; during which people were killed or injured on the tribunal’s behalf; is Lebanon today getting cold feet?

News reports suggest that Hezbollah has allowed a small number of its members summoned by Daniel Bellemare to be questioned. That’s interesting in itself. But what about the others who have not been made available to the prosecution? If they refuse to come forward, Bellemare has the option of compelling the Lebanese to bring them in. And if the Lebanese fail to do so, he has the latitude to go to the Security Council. He may choose this path, or he may not. But sooner or later the Lebanese authorities will have to take a clear position on the tribunal.

The Lebanese political class is happy only when floating in ambiguity. Yet that’s not acceptable in the case of a major political crime that led to the formation of a landmark tribunal. The UN, for all its faults, took Lebanon seriously in 2005 by creating an independent investigation of the Hariri assassination. The Lebanese must now show they deserved it.

Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut.

March 26, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Achouri refuses to comment on those summoned for STL investigation

Spokesperson for the prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Radhia Achouri said in an interview published in Kuwaiti paper Al-Rai’s Friday edition that preserving the secrecy of the investigation into to the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is vital.

The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) does not respond to inquiries over the identity of those summoned for interrogation, she added, noting that any content that is revealed might be used by the criminals to cover evidence and avoid accountability.

Achouri touched on the current process of the three dimensional modeling of the crime scene, saying she will not comment on any speculation on the investigation’s progress. The STL President Antonio Cassese’s report is the sole provider of information in this regard, she added.

“We decided to carry out the process [of three dimensional modeling] now, because it turned out to be essential for the investigation, and the logistics for its implementation are ready,” she said.

She also said the three dimensional modeling is critical and allows a quick, almost complete documentation of the crime scene.

According to Achouri, the OTP never said crimes in Lebanon following 2005 and Hariri’s assassination were related. “We rather said that the investigation has reached elements of connectivity between the Hariri attack and the other attacks,” she stated.

She also said the date for issuing the indictment was not set, but that Cassese voiced hope it would take place by December 2010.

Speculation over the date is useless and unfounded, because the prosecutor is the only one who decides on it, she added.

March 25, 2010 - Daily Star - Tribunal investigators question three Hizbullah members

Judicial source denies probe has entered decisive phase
By Michael Bluhm

BEIRUT: Special Tribunal for Lebanon investigators recently questioned three members of Hizbullah about the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, although the investigators had requested to speak with 20 individuals connected to Hizbullah, a senior judicial source told The Daily Star on Wednesday.


At the same time, media reports about the assassination probe having entered a decisive phase are false, the source added.


Investigators interrogated the three Hizbullah members, who were not taken into custody or asked for further rounds of questioning, said the source, who has access to the requests for assistance submitted by the Holland-based tribunal.


Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for tribunal prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said the court could not confirm the identities of anyone it has questioned. “We have never given any indication as to whom we are meeting and in what capacity,” she said.


Because of the potentially explosive effects in Lebanon of implicating Hizbullah in Hariri’s killing, tribunal detectives will likely not pursue this line of investigation too thoroughly, the source added. “I don’t think they will push hard on this issue,” the source said. “They want to hear new people.”


Ali Fayyad, an MP for Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, said on Wednesday that Hizbullah would present its views on the tribunal’s investigation “in due time.”


As for the Hizbullah members who reportedly failed to arrive for questioning, the court can compel the Lebanese state to subpoena Lebanese citizens wanted for questioning by investigators, but the tribunal has not resorted to this process, Achouri said. The tribunal has only submitted requests for assistance, she added.


The apparently extensive interest in Hizbullah would dovetail with the investigators’ theory, as outlined in a March 2006 report by former investigation chief Serge Brammertz, who said he had concluded that a third group acted as mediators between those who ordered Hariri’s assassination and the suicide bomber and his accomplices. “The [investigation] commission believes that there is a layer of perpetrators between those who initially commissioned the crime and the actual perpetrators on the day of the crime, namely those who enabled the crime to occur,” the report said.


Meanwhile, investigators have largely turned their attention away from Syria, the source said. Many here blame Damascus for Hariri’s killing and the plague of political assassinations that has bedeviled Lebanon for years, but Syria has categorically denied any involvement in any political violence. Mass demonstrations after Hariri’s February 14, 2005 assassination forced Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon after a 29-year presence, and Damascus endured years of international isolation before its return to prominence.



The judicial source also said he dismissed a report in Wednesday’s edition of pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat that the investigation had entered a decisive phase and that indictments were soon forthcoming. “I don’t think that is accurate,” the source said. “No major things are occurring.”


Tribunal spokeswoman Achouri said rampant media speculation about the investigation was “not based on accurate information or knowledge,” adding that she strongly discouraged such rumor-mongering.


“It would be helpful if people would abstain or refrain from making estimates and speculation,” she said. “We never give any estimate” about how long the prosecutor will need to submit an indictment request to the court’s pre-trial judge, she added.


Regarding the status of Bellemare’s probe, Achouri said the tribunal remained positive about the chances for finding Hariri’s killers, as tribunal President Antonio Cassese said in his report earlier this month about the tribunal’s first year of activity.


“We have made significant progress that makes us feel optimistic about the outcome of our endeavor,” she said.


This week tribunal investigators also began filming in 3-D the scene of Hariri’s assassination on the Beirut seafront. A massive truck bomb, evidently detonated by a suicide bomber, killed Hariri and 22 others as the former premier’s motorcade drove along the Corniche near the St. George Hotel.


UN Security Council Resolution 1757 in May 2007 established the tribunal, which has its headquarters in a former Dutch intelligence building in a suburb on Holland’s The Hague.


The tribunal, which has a $55.35-million budget in its second year, has mandate to investigate politically motivated assassinations and attempted killings from October 2004 through January 2008.

March 25, 2010 - Now Lebanon - LBCI: Three-dimensional modeling of Hariri crime scene will be used for indictments

An anonymous source from Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s office told LBCI television on Thursday that the STL will use the three-dimensional modeling of the site of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri for its indictments.

According to earlier reports, an investigative team dispatched by the STL on Tuesday re-examined the assassination site using advanced technology, including three-dimensional modeling.

The source added that the modeling was probably the first use of the technique by an international tribunal.

-NOW Lebanon

March 25, 2010 - Naharnet - Wahab: Leaked Tribunal Info Says Mughniyeh Involved in Hariri Murder

Tawheed movement leader Wiam Wahab said Thursday that according to leaked information, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is accusing slain Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh of involvement in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination.
In remarks to al-Jadeed TV station, Wahab said he wasn't the Syrian ambassador's "worker."Wahab also commented to LBC about his recent call for President Michel Suleiman to resign, saying his stance was a "political viewpoint" that did not deserve "the intellectual terror" practiced against him.He reminded the Lebanese that late President Fouad Shehab resigned after his political team didn't cooperate with him.Wahab denied that he would visit Suleiman in Baabda on Friday. However, he expressed readiness to meet with the president anytime.

March 25, 2010 - Naharnet - Judicial official confirms Hariri probe entered decisive stage

التحقيق الدولي: مسح ثلاثي الابعاد واستماع للشهود ومسؤول قضائي يؤكد الوصول الى مراحل حاسمة
دفع فريق المحكمة الدولية الخاص بجريمة اغتيال رئيس الحكومة الاسبق رفيق الحريري عمله الميداني على خطين: مسح مصور بالثلاثي الابعاد لمسرح الجريمة ومسح إفادات الشهود، تمهيدا لوضع صورة متكاملة للتحقيق الجاري.

وكشف مسؤول قضائي رفيع لصحيفة "الشرق الأوسط" أن "عمل اللجنة وصل إلى مراحل حاسمة. ونحن ذاهبون إلى القرار الظني".

واضاف "تدل على ذلك الاستجوابات النهائية التي تقوم بها لجنة التحقيق لاستكمال كل شيء ناقص. هناك كثافة في العمل، وهناك معلومات بدأ المعنيون بها بتداولها، وإلا كيف نفسر ردود الفعل على تحرك اللجنة واستجواباتها، التي تعكس اضطرابا على الساحة السياسية مع إثارة مواضيع سجالية من شأنها أن توتر الأوضاع".

ونفى المسؤول القضائي معرفته بما سينتج عن تقنيات التصوير الثلاثي الأبعاد لموقع الجريمة، موضحا ان "الأمر أشبه بالتقنيات التي استخدمت في الفيلم الأميركي (أفاتار). ومن شأنه أن يسهل للجنة التحقيق وضع تصور كامل عن الانفجار، وبالتأكيد سيستفيد المحققون من هذه التقنيات المتطورة".

وكان عدد من فريق التحقيق الدولي باشر الثلاثاء عملية تصوير موقع اغتيال الحريري في منطقة السان جورج القريبة من وسط بيروت، مستخدمين تقنية متطورة ثلاثية الابعاد، ما "سيسمح على الأرجح لفريق التحقيق بتحديد المكان الذي تواجد فيه من نفذوا الجريمة وكيفية حصولها وفقاً للمعلومات التي لدى التحقيق الدولي".

وشوهد أعضاء الفريق الدولي وقد علّقوا على صدورهم بطاقات تعرّف عنهم، يتجولون داخل فندق السان جورج المقابل للطريق حيث وقع الانفجار، ويصوّرون المحيط وسط إجراءات أمنية مشددة نفّذتها القوى الأمنية اللبنانية، وكان أعضاء الفريق الدولي يستخدمون آلات تصوير حديثة وأجهزة الكترونية متنوعة، بعدما كان طلب تأمين نقاط مراقبة له وتزويده خرائط ورسوماً لبعض الأبنية المحيطة والقريبة من مكان الانفجار، وإزالة مكعبات الحديد والباطون من المنطقة المراد العمل بها•

وواصل الفريق الدولي من جهة اخرى، مسح إفادات الشهود الذين كانوا أدلوا بإفاداتهم أمام لجنة التحقيق الدولية قبل تشكيل المحكمة، والاستماع الى العشرات من الشهود الجدد، ومن بينهم حسب ما ذكرت المعلومات لصحيفة "اللواء" ستة من عناصر "حزب الله".

وبحسب المعلومات التي اوردتها محطة "نيو تي في"، فإن لجنة التحقيق الدولية استدعت كل من عبد المجيد غملوش، الحاج سليم، مصطفى بدر الدين وقاسم سليمان من كوادر "حزب الله" للاستماع الى اقوالهم.

وذكرت محطة OTV أن عناصر حزبية امتنعت عن المثول كشهود أمام المحققين الدوليين، مشيرة الى معلومات عن وساطات تجري للتوصل الى صيغة وسطية.

وكانت وكالة "المركزية" نقلت عن مصدر مطلع ان المحققين قدموا الى المدعي العام في لبنان القاضي سعيد ميرزا لائحة بإسماء أربعة عشر شخصا بهدف إستدعائهم وسماع إفادتهم بصفة شهود.

واكدت المتحدثة باسم مكتب المدعي العام راضية عاشوري الموجودة في لاهاي، لوكالة "الصحافة الفرنسية" ان المكتب ليس في وارد اعطاء اي تفاصيل عن مهمات فريقه. وقالت ان "فريق المحققين موجود دائماً على الأرض في لبنان. قاعدة عملنا الأساسية هناك. الضحايا لبنانيون وشركاؤنا في التحقيق لبنانيون".

وأضافت "نحن لا نعطي اي تفاصيل عن برنامج عمل فريقنا. لقد حصلت زيارات عدة للمحققين ونفذت خططاً محددة كثيرة، وفي كل يوم وفي كل ساعة، يمكن ان يحصل ذلك".

وأوضحت ان "هذا هو الوجه العملاني السري من عملنا الذي يشمل المصادر والأرض وغيرها"، مشيرة الى ان "رفض الإدلاء بمعلومات هو من اجل حجبها ايضاً عن المرتكبين الذين لا يزالون طليقين وللحفاظ على نزاهة العملية".

March 24, 2010 - Ya Libnan - STL: Investigation of Hariri’s assassination has entered a “decisive stage.”

A high-ranking judicial source confirmed that the investigation of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has entered a “decisive stage.”

“We are moving ahead with indictments,” the high-ranking official said in remarks published Wednesday Asharq al-Awsat newspaper .

Meanwhile, New TV said sources close to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon requested to summon six Hezbollah members for questioning .

Among those requested to be summoned were Abdul Majid Ghamloush, al-Hajj Salim, Mustafa Badreddine and Qassem Suleiman, according to New TV.

It said the investigation committee confirmed that Hezbollah was willing to cooperate with the international tribunal “which it welcomes in its southern suburbs bastion in order to find the truth.”

STL prosecutor’s spokeswoman Radhia Achouri has said that the investigation committee was “undertaking an actual 3D modeling of the Hariri crime scene to reconstruct the scene and whatever happened there using digital scanning techniques.”

A U.N. tribunal based in The Hague was set up by a Security Council resolution in 2007 to prosecute suspects in the assassination of Hariri who was killed in a massive bomb explosion near Saint George Hotel February 14, 2005.

Achouri said the filming would be finalized within 10 days but denied it was linked to recent progress in the investigation.

“It is happening now because it is possible and has nothing to do with the actual progress of the investigation for the time being,” she said.

“It was an issue of establishing the need. We deemed it necessary and can now afford to do it physically and in terms of resources,” Achouri added.

Before the STL was set up, a U.N. commission of inquiry said it had found evidence to implicate Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officers in the Hariri murder, but there are currently no suspects in custody.

The murder has widely blamed on Syria. Damascus, however, denied any involvement.

In May 2009 the German magazine Der Spiegel revealed that Hezbollah is behind the assassination of Hariri.

March 24, 2010 - Naharnet - Fayyad: Hizbullah Not Concerned by Media Tribunal Leaks

Loyalty to the Resistance MP Ali Fayyad said Wednesday that Hizbullah was not concerned by media leaks targeting Hizbullah. He was referring to press reports that said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon requested to summon six Hizbullah members to hearing. Al-Jadid TV, which carried the report, said Wednesday that among those requested to be summoned were Abdul Majid Ghamloush, al-Hajj Salim, Mustafa Badreddine and Qassem Suleiman. Citing sources close to the STL, al-Jadid said the investigation committee confirmed that Hizbullah was willing to cooperate with the international tribunal "which it welcomes in its southern suburbs bastion in order to find the truth." "Hizbullah will make a stance regarding this issue in due time," Fayyad told al-Jadid TV Wednesday. Turning to President Michel Suleiman, Fayyad said Hizbullah, too, is not involved in the campaign against the President.

March 24, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Assad supports Sleiman, says Syria did not insult Jumblatt

During an interview with Al-Manar television on Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Lebanon “did not achieve anything,” in response to statements that the country has progressed in the past five years following the withdrawal of Syrian troops.

He said that he was the first to propose the establishment of diplomatic ties between Syria and Lebanon, and it would not have happened in 2008 without his conviction.

He denied that foreign pressure led to the establishment of diplomatic ties, adding delineation of the borders is a bilateral issue between Syria and Lebanon, and Damascus does not adhere to foreign requests.

Assad said the Shebaa Farms is a legal issue and not a political one.

The Syrian president commented on Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s recent statement that no one will benefit from his trip to Damascus if the Druze as a whole does not approve it, saying sectarian identity should be part of a greater sense of national belonging.

Assad added that he cared about the content of Jumblatt’s rhetoric rather than a literal apology, in response to the PSP leader’s statement that he made inappropriate comments against Assad “in a moment of anger and loss.”

Assad said that his country only wanted Jumblatt to get back on the right track.

The Syrian president denied that his country wants to insult Jumblatt. However, he said, “Syria is not seeking an apology, and we do not have a superiority complex. We do not need to prove ourselves.”

“Syria rejects forgiveness and, most importantly, we do not need anyone to forgive us,” he said, in response to Jumblatt’s statement that he will “forget and forgive” Syria for killing his father, PSP founder Kamal Jumblatt.

“If anyone in Lebanon has proof that Syria was implicated in any crime, let him follow the legal measures in this regard,” the Syrian president said.

However, according to Assad, there is a bazaar of international tribunals that have lost their significance, a possible reference to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).

The Syrian president said he was not purposely delaying Jumblatt’s visit to Damascus but is seeking common ground in their political positions.

He said Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah played the largest role in facilitating Syria’s renewed relationship with Jumblatt, adding the PSP leader’s trip might take place after Libya’s Arab League Summit in late March.

“It is important to reduce tension now,” said Assad, adding, “Syria benefits when the situation in Lebanon improves.”

He refused to comment on reports that Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Jumblatt improved their relations with Damascus at the ire of their political supporters. However, he said the discrepancy affects the Lebanese politicians rather than Syria.

The Syrian president said the issue is part of domestic Lebanese details, which, he added, do not affect or concern Syria.

Assad said he and Hariri are trying to build their personal relations as a way to push institutional ties between their two countries and reiterated his support for Hezbollah.

Assad also said that he never approved Tawhid Movement leader Wiam Wahhab’s recent call for President Michel Sleiman’s resignation.

He said that if Syria wants to criticize someone; it is fully capable of directly communicating with them.

The Syrian president touched on reports of possible regional crises, which, he said, have been imposed on Syria. However, the country does not place its “future in the hands of major powers.”

Assad also said that he does not want to mix between the Bush and Obama administrations, saying they are very different.

US President Barack Obama does not dictate terms as former US President George W. Bush did, he said.

Assad refused to comment on US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford’s testimony to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 16 that “he is not a prize for Assad’s regime.”

He also spoke about Iranian-Iraqi relations, saying Tehran is not interfering in Iraq’s national security but is playing an important role in the country.

Assad added Syria is not violating Iraq’s borders and believes in building relations with the country.

As for Syrian-Israeli relations, the president said there is no hope for peace with the current Israeli cabinet. However, he said Tel Aviv has no choice but peace, and the Jewish state’s deterrence has decreased as the concept of Resistance has increased among the Arabs.

Goals can be achieved in many ways other than war, said Assad, but he added his country will engage in any war that is imposed on it. He reiterated that Israel “only understands the language of force.”

According to the president, Syria coordinates with Lebanon on the issue of Arab-Israeli negotiations because Damascus and Beirut do not benefit on their own.

Assad also said Egypt should support Syria despite their different positions on issues.

For more of the speech, click here.

-NOW Lebanon

March 24, 2010 - Ya Libnan - Hussein: STL will not threaten Lebanon’s security

Minister of State Adnan as-Sayyed Hussein told OTV on Wednesday that the investigations of Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will not threaten Lebanon’s security.

According to Sayyed Hussein, Lebanese-Syrian relations should be normalized and the STL should be able to conduct its work smoothly.

President Michel Suleiman’s visit to Syria is possible at any time, he added.

In a related development Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad told New TV on Wednesday that Hezbollah is not concerned with reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) summoned its members for interrogation over the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

“Hezbollah will announce its position [on the matter] when the time is right. Hezbollah only fears the politicization of the reports,” Fayyad said.

Last week Wiam Wahab a staunch ally of Syria warned:

“A problem could take place in the country because the investigating panel will create strife,” Wahab told New TV on Saturday. He was referring to the summoning of Hezbollah members by the STL investigation team.

The former minister also advised PM Saad Hariri to “avoid the trap of the international tribunal.”

In May 2009 the German magazine Der Spiegel revealed that Hezbollah is behind the assassination of Lebanon’s former PM Rafik Hariri.

Sayyed Hussein commented on the Arab League Summit in Libya next weekend, saying Lebanon will participate in the meeting but be represented by a low-ranking delegate.

He also said he would not respond to Wahab’s criticism of Suleiman, but he added Wahab should not address the president in such a manner.

He touched on the June municipal elections, saying Muslims and Christians should take turns in holding the position of Beirut’s head of municipality.

March 24, 2010 - Almustaqbal - STL investigators : 3D photos

في إطار متابعة التحقيق الذي يجريه بلمار
محققون دوليون يلتقطون صوراً "ثلاثية الأبعاد" لموقع اغتيال الحريري
المستقبل - الاربعاء 24 آذار 2010 - العدد 3604 - مخافر و محاكم - صفحة 10

بدأ فريق من المحققين تابع للمحكمة الدولية الخاصة بلبنان، بتصوير موقع اغتيال الرئيس الشهيد رفيق الحريري ورفاقه في محلة السان- جورج، وذلك بمواكبة الأجهزة الأمنية اللبنانية.
واستخدم المحققون تقنيات جديدة ثلاثية الأبعاد لتصوير موقع الانفجار، وذلك في إطار متابعة التحقيق الذي يجريه النائب العام لدى المحكمة القاضي دانيال بلمار.
وذكرت معلومات لوكالة الصحافة الفرنسية ان فريقاً من المحققين الدوليين سيواصل من جهته تحقيقاته في لبنان، لجهة سماع شهود في الجريمة، ومعاودة سماع شهود سبق أن أدلوا بإفاداتهم أمام اللجنة الدولية.
وأشارت المتحدثة باسم مكتب المدعي العام راضية عاشوري الى ان المكتب ليس في وارد إعطاء أية تفاصيل عن مهام فريقه.
وقالت لوكالة "فرانس برس" "ان فريق المحققين موجود دائماً على الأرض في لبنان، قاعدة عملنا الأساسية هناك، الضحايا لبنانيون وشركاؤنا في التحقيق لبنانيون".
وأضافت "نحن لا نعطي أي تفاصيل عن برنامج عمل فريقنا. لقد حصلت زيارات عديدة للمحققين، ونُفذت خطط محددة كثيرة، وفي كل يوم وفي كل ساعة، يمكن ان يحصل ذلك".
وأوضحت ان "هذا هو الوجه العملاني السري من عملنا الذي يشمل المصادر والأرض وغيرها (...)"، مشيرة الى ان "رفض الإدلاء بمعلومات هو من أجل حجبها أيضاً عن المرتكبين الذين لا يزالون طليقين وللحفاظ على نزاهة العملية".
وذكرت "المركزية" أن الفريق الدولي المؤلف من 11 خبيراً يستكمل عملية تصوير ثلاثي الأبعاد لمسرح جريمة اغتيال الرئيس رفيق الحريري في محلة السان جورج في بيروت. ونقلت الوكالة عن مصدر متابع لشؤون سير المحكمة الدولية الخاصة بلبنان قوله إن "الهدف من التصوير الثلاثي الحصول على صورة مختلفة عن مسرح الجريمة لا يمكن للتصوير العادي أن يقدمها"، مشيراً الى أن "هذا النوع من التصوير يجعل المشاهد يشعر وكأنه داخل الصورة وفي مكان الحدث لانه لا يظهر الوجه فقط بل الجوانب المختلفة في وقت واحد"، موضحاً أن "الصور الملتقطة بهذه التقنية تشبه الى حد بعيد تصوير الفيديو لجهة التقاط الحركة، مع فارق جوهري هو أن الحركة الملتقطة تشمل كل الجوانب وليس السطحي فقط".
ورأى المصدر أن "التحقيق على ما يبدو قد وصل الى مرحلة تتطلب جمع كل هذه الصور من الأرض ومن الجو ودمجها في فيلم ثلاثي الأبعاد ما يسمح بتكوين صورة شبه كاملة عن وقائع ما جرى في ذلك اليوم"، لافتاً الى أن "المحققين قدموا الى المدعي العام في لبنان القاضي سعيد ميرزا لائحة بأسماء أربعة عشر شخصاً بهدف استدعائهم وسماع افادتهم بصفة شهود".

March 23, 2010 - Daily Star - Tribunal investigators to start 3D filming at Hariri murder scene

BEIRUT: A UN investigation team will begin filming as of Tuesday a three-dimensional scene of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in the Saint George area, media reports said on Monday.

A security source told The Daily Star the team will also listen to witnesses, conduct interviews and collect information under the escort of Lebanese troops and police.

Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat said the 11-strong investigation team, dispatched by Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s office, has been taking “ordinary photographs” of the crime scene and that 3D filming will only start on Tuesday.

Al-Hayat said the team will also review past testimonies given by witnesses before the UN investigation committee.

It said international investigators will also listen to dozens of new testimonies of witnesses in the Hariri case. The late former premier was assassinated on February 14, 2005.

Citing well-informed sources, Al-Hayat said the investigation team has already begun a re-survey of the major crimes of political nature that have taken place in Lebanon in the aftermath of Hariri’s assassination.

Al-Akhbar newspaper said Monday that Bellemare’s office has ordered 18 Lebanese people, Hizbullah members likely among them, to appear at to give their testimony as witnesses. – The Daily Star, with Naharnet