Cabinet Should Guarantee Commitment to All Special Tribunal’s Requests
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told LBC television on Saturday that the Memorandum of Understanding between Lebanon and the Special Tribunal on former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination was to coordinate between the Lebanese government and General Prosecutor Judge Danielle Bellemare’s office.
Najjar said the cabinet should give Bellemare guarantees that it would abide by all the tribunal’s requests, adding that the cabinet’s decision concerning the MoU would be decisive and should not submit to the obstructing third vote.
He also said that the names of the two Lebanese judges to be appointed to the tribunal in The Hague will not be announced during Sunday’s ceremony for the court’s launching.
Najjar concluded that the issue of the four generals, who were still in custody on suspicion of involvement the assassination, was no longer within the powers of the Lebanese judicial authorities, because all investigations and arrest warrants would henceforth be issued by the Special Tribunal.