Author of Der Spiegel Tale “Convinced” about Report, Says Documents “Original”
Author of the Der Spiegel report implicating Hizbullah in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri said he is "convinced" about the article and stressed that the documents cited were "original."
"The documents that I reviewed during preparation of my report were original, not copies," Erich Follath, Der Spiegel”s diplomatic correspondent, said in a telephone interview with pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
"I verified every word before publishing the report," he added.
Follath said he visited Syria a few months ago and met President Bashar al-Assad.
"That had nothing to do with the article published over the weekend," he stressed.
Follath said he is a "free" journalist who takes into account the conscience of his profession.
He denied working for intelligence services, adding that he had "personally" criticized Israel a number of times for its violations of the rights of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.
Follath said he was "happy" to be attacked by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
He pointed that he had met senior Hizbullah officials and that he was "not surprised by Nasrallah”s attack, but was expecting it."
He said Nasrallah”s assault had "improved his status," adding that he is convinced about his tale "today more than ever before."
Meanwhile, As Safir newspaper said Der Spiegel”s report was a "replica" story by opposition Syrian journalist Nizar Nayouf published by "al Hakika" (the Truth) website five months ago.
It said Der Spiegel”s report "selected" parts from Nayouf”s article regarding Hizbullah”s special forces in addition to names of senior Hizbullah officials like Imad Mughniyeh, Abdel Majid Ghamloush and al-Haj Salim as well as using the same terms regarding slain Lebanese army officer Wissam Eid.
Al-Akhbar newspaper, for its part, said Wednesday that Nick Kaldas, head of the U.N. investigation team probing Hariri”s assassination, was "examining" the contents of the dossier containing names and addresses as well as database and tables showing link among communication networks.