Naharnet - Bellemare seeks extension of Hariri Murder probe, 7 april 2008

Daniel Bellemare, head of the U.N. probe into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was on Sunday reportedly seeking an extension of his commission's mandate.

The pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, citing diplomatic sources in New York, said Bellemare has informed "several bodies" of the need to extend the mandate of the U.N. panel to further analyze evidence before taking over as prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The sources, who met Bellemare in the framework of contacts with the various representatives of U.N. Security Council member states concerned with the Hariri murder case, said the former Canada prosecutor was keeping his information secret. They said Bellemare did not say how much time he needs, except for hinting that he would likely not be ready by mid-July, a move that requires extension of the commission mandate.Bellemare said earlier this week that the priority of the inquiry is to now gather more evidence about the "criminal network" responsible for the massive car bombing that killed Hariri and 22 other people and determine its participants.In his latest report to the Security Council, Bellemare said that the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) has accumulated evidence indicating that the criminal network had conducted surveillance of Hariri before he was killed in Beirut Feb. 14, 2005.He said that "at least part of the (so-called) Hariri network continued to exist and operate after the assassination."Bellemare said the IIIC was also trying to establish the links between members of the network and any others outside the group.He is also trying tp pin down the role the network has played in other deadly attacks against prominent figures in Lebanon in recent years.The U.N. commission is also continuing to pursue its investigation of the identity of the suicide bomber in the Hariri case, drawing on forensic information obtained and an analysis of the missing person files of various countries to generate possible leaders. DNA profiling is being carried out as well.U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. are taking steps to set up the tribunal to try those responsible for Hariri's killing.