Assad Says Cooperation with Hariri Tribunal Conditional on Agreement
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday said he was willing to cooperate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon but under his conditions and on the basis of an agreement with the court.
In an interview with France 5, a public television network in France, Assad said he had previously cooperated with U.N. investigators probing the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.
"We are willing to cooperate in the same manner with the tribunal, but under our conditions because any Syrian, whether or not he is part of the government, succumbs to our laws and our authority," Assad explained.
He pointed at an agreement between the U.N. and Lebanon, which he said ensured that a Lebanese judge sat on the tribunal, saying Damascus would expect a similar accord in order to uphold the rights of Syrian nationals.
"If they want our cooperation, then there must be an agreement, because our people also have rights," he insisted. "If there is an agreement, a clear agreement, we don”t have a problem."
"We are not worried regarding the outcome of the investigation," Assad went on to say.
"We will remain assured as long as the investigations are carried out in accordance with technical and professional norms," he added.
Hariri”s murder in a massive bomb blast on the Beirut seafront in February 2005 was widely blamed on Syria. Damascus, however, has denied any involvement.
But in April of that year Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon, under international pressure, ending a 29-year presence in the country.
A U.N. investigative commission has found evidence that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services were linked to Hariri”s assassination.
Tribunal”s president Antonio Cassese said he planned to strike agreements with Lebanon”s neighbors, including Syria, to facilitate the handover of possible suspects.
The STL has no suspects in custody since ordering the release last month of four pro-Syrian generals held by Lebanon for nearly four years without charge.