December 3, 2009 - Naharnet - Bellemare: Hariri Tribunal Moving at Full Pace

Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Daniel Bellemare said his investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri was moving at "full pace." "The investigation is making progress and is proceeding at full pace," said a statement released by his spokeswoman, Radhia Achouri. "The process ... is purely evidence-driven and ... cannot be overcast with doubts about the credibility and the integrity of the justice rendered by the tribunal," the statement said. Bellemare on Wednesday met President Michel Suleiman on his first trip as prosecutor to Beirut, where he arrived on Tuesday for a seven-day visit during which he also will meet members of the new government. The Hague-based tribunal was set up by a U.N. Security Council resolution in 2007 to try suspects in the murder of Hariri, killed in a massive bomb blast on the Beirut seafront in February 2005. The bombing was widely blamed on Syria although Damascus has denied any involvement. A U.N. commission of inquiry said it had found evidence to implicate Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services but there are no suspects in custody.(AFP-Naharnet)