March 6, 2010 - Naharnet - Cassese's 1st Report: Murder Executed by Small Cell Induced by Wider Network, Suicide Bomber Geographic Origin Almost Ident

Special Tribunal for Lebanon President Judge Antonio Cassese confirmed the achievement of "significant progress towards building a case which will bring perpetrators to justice" in the case of murdering ex-PM Rafik Hariri in 2005, revealing that the investigation got closer "to identifying the suspected suicide bomber by narrowing down the individual's geographic origin and partially reconstructing the individual's face."
"Significant progress was achieved despite the obvious discipline and sophistication of those behind the attack," Cassese said in his report submitted to Lebanon's premier Saad Hariri and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who referred it to the Security Council member states.

Cassese said the investigation has obtained "additional information to support the fact that the perpetrators of the attack carried out the attack with the complicity of a wider group."

In his 60-page report, Cassese mentioned that the investigation has developed "existing leads relating to elements of connectivity between the Hariri attack and other attacks" that targeted Lebanese parliamentary, journalistic and military figures such as Gebran Tueiny, Francois al-Hajj, Wissam Eid, Samir Qassir, Walid Eido, Pierre Gemayel and others.

"During this reporting period, over 280 interviews with witnesses were conducted by investigators on mission or by investigators stationed at the Beirut Field Office," Cassese added in his report.

"The aims of the Tribunal as a whole – Chambers, Registry, Office of the Prosecutor, and Defense Office all together – are to render justice in a fair and transparent process, to provide truth and peace of mind for the victims as well as reconciliation to Lebanese society. The Tribunal's work also intends to strengthen the culture of accountability in Lebanese society."

"The Lebanese authorities are bound to cooperate with the STL and must therefore comply, without undue delay, with any request for assistance or any order issued by the STL," Cassese stressed.

Cassese called for providing sufficient funding through expanding support to encompass other countries and international organizations.

He noted that his report "covers not only the Tribunal's accomplishments, but also the challenges it is facing, in particular due to the extreme complexity and novelty of dealing with terrorism at the international judicial level."