Jailed Sayyed Accuses Mehlis of Proposing Illegal offer to Assad, Siddiq Leaves France …
The Jailed ex-director of general security Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed claims that former U.N. Investigator Detlev Mehlis had asked him to convince Syrian President Bashar Assad of sacrificing a Syrian citizen in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri to work out a settlement to the case.
In a letter to U.N. Chief Ban ki-Moon Sayyed claimed that Mehlis and his assistant “asked me in secret negotiations to relay a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad to convince him of providing a major Syrian victim that would testify to have committed the crime, and to be found dead later.”
“Based on this an amicable settlement would be reached with Syria similar to the settlement with Libya over the Lockerbie issue,” Sayyed added.
He said Mehlis had issued an “erroneous recommendation to apprehend me (and three other generals)” in connection with the 2005 Hariri assassination.
Sayyed also claimed that “Lebanese judges have repeatedly informed us that they fear political vengeance if they set us free … while they feel immune against such vengeance if the international (investigation) committee provided them with a reversed recommendation” to that of Mehlis, a German judge who was the first head of the U.N. Independent Investigation Commission looking into the Hariri assassination and related crimes..
Meanwhile, the daily newspaper as-Safir reported that Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq, a major Syrian witness to the Hariri crime, had mysteriously left his self-chosen exile in France to an unknown destination.
Siddiq had implicated Syria in the Hariri crime. Damascus had denied the charge.
“Siddiq has probably left for the side that facilitated his departure from Riyadh to Paris two years and a half ago.”
The report said Siddiq has been moved to a “prosperous Arab state in the gulf.” It did not disclose further details.
“Based on this an amicable settlement would be reached with Syria similar to the settlement with Libya over the Lockerbie issue,” Sayyed added.
He said Mehlis had issued an “erroneous recommendation to apprehend me (and three other generals)” in connection with the 2005 Hariri assassination.
Sayyed also claimed that “Lebanese judges have repeatedly informed us that they fear political vengeance if they set us free … while they feel immune against such vengeance if the international (investigation) committee provided them with a reversed recommendation” to that of Mehlis, a German judge who was the first head of the U.N. Independent Investigation Commission looking into the Hariri assassination and related crimes..
Meanwhile, the daily newspaper as-Safir reported that Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq, a major Syrian witness to the Hariri crime, had mysteriously left his self-chosen exile in France to an unknown destination.
Siddiq had implicated Syria in the Hariri crime. Damascus had denied the charge.
“Siddiq has probably left for the side that facilitated his departure from Riyadh to Paris two years and a half ago.”
The report said Siddiq has been moved to a “prosperous Arab state in the gulf.” It did not disclose further details.