April 24, 2009 - Naharnet - Bellemare to Announce Decision on 4 Generals April 27

The prosecutor in the international tribunal Daniel Bellemare will announce his decision on Monday regarding the fate of Lebanon's top four security generals held in custody in Lebanon in the murder case of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The daily As Safir on Friday quoted Bellemare's spokeswoman Radiya Ashouri as saying that the tribunal's prosecutor will announce his decision on April 27 and not earlier than the specified date. Pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen has issued a ruling asking Daniel Bellemare to "either justify the need to keep the prisoners in Lebanon in custody or to order their release by April 27." The four generals are Jamil Sayyed, Ali Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan who respectively headed the General Security Department, the Internal Security Forces, Military Intelligence and the Presidential Guards Brigade. Ashouri stressed from The Hague Bellemare's keenness to commit by the deadline "unless circumstances warrant otherwise." An Nahar newspaper, however, said Fransen approved Bellemare's request to give him until Friday to decide whether or not he needed to extend the April 27 deadline. Meanwhile, STL President Antonio Cassesse said the tribunal now possesses the "necessary legal tools" to deal with the initial files related to the Hariri murder.