Hariri Tribunal Confirms It Will Open Doors March 1
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, due to try the suspected killers of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, said Wednesday it will open its doors in a suburb of The Hague on March 1.
"To mark this historic event, a short public ceremony will be held at the STL court building," the tribunal said in a statement.
Officials expected to attend the ceremony include Canadian prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, registrar Robin Vincent, and Patricia O”Brien, the UN under secretary general for legal affairs.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon had said in late November that the tribunal could start its work on March 1.
The court, known informally as the Hariri tribunal, has existed on paper since June 10, 2007, when it was brought to life by a resolution of the UN Security Council.
Eleven judges, including four Lebanese, have been nominated to work at the tribunal, housed at the former headquarters of the Dutch intelligence service in the town of Leidschendam.
The judges” names are being kept under wraps for security reasons.
Seven suspects are being held in Lebanon in a probe into a series of attacks on Lebanese political and media personalities, notably Hariri”s assassination in a car bombing in February 2005 that also killed 22 others.
German Detlev Mehlis, who preceded Bellemare as head of the international investigation, has previously said there was evidence implicating Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services in Hariri”s assassination. Damascus has denied any involvement.
Bellemare has indicated he would seek the transfer of suspects to The Hague within two months of the tribunal”s opening.
The court”s budget will amount to some $51.4 million (36 million euros) in 2009 – 49 percent of it financed by Lebanon.