Hariri case “can be solved” – Bellemare to Security Council
The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously agreed to extend for two months the mandate of the UN panel probing the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
The 15-member council decided to extend the mandate, which expires late this month, until next February 28 on a request by the head of the Beirut-based commission, Canadian prosecutor Daniel Bellemare.
Last month, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a report that the international tribunal that will try the suspected assassins of Lebanese former prime minister in The Hague could begin work on March 1.
In his briefing to the council Wednesday, Bellemare said he sought the two-month extension of his mandate "to allow the Commission to continue to function until the day the Tribunal starts to operate."
He noted that the extension would allow "the momentum of the investigation to be maintained" and would also provide "a period of time in which the commission could gradually transfer its investigative operation from a Beirut base to a base in The Hague."
He made it clear that he could not predict when his probe would be wrapped up.
"I cannot predict when all the various elements of evidence required to support an indictment will be discovered," Bellemare said.
Early this month, a report from his enquiry panel said fresh evidence might help identify new suspects in the Hariri slaying.
Bellemare notably said that progress was made "in relation to identifying the geographical origin of the suicide bomber in the Hariri case."
Hariri was killed on February 14, 2005 in a massive car bombing on the Beirut seafront that also killed 22 others.
The attack was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war, and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops after a 29-year presence.
The international tribunal, in charge of trying the Hariri murder suspects, was authorized by Security Council Resolution 1757 in June 2007.
The tribunal will have 11 judges, including four from Lebanon.