Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Daniel Bellemare — who continued his meetings with Lebanese officials on Thursday — said that there is no specific date for the indictment issuance in the case of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri who was killed in a massive bomb blast on the Beirut seafront in February 2005.
Earlier Thursday, Bellemare met with Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar.
Bellemare had met with President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, and PM Saad Hariri on Wednesday. He was accompanied by Lebanon”s Deputy Prosecutor General Judge Jocelyn Tabet.
Statements issued by Bellemare”s office said STL”s Prosecutor cannot set a timeframe for the issuance of the indictment.
Bellemare reiterated that the main goal of his visit was to revive hope for the Lebanese people, especially the families of the victims, and to reassure them about the tribunal”s commitment to exert all possible efforts to fulfill its mission in total independency.
STL”s Prosecutor expressed his optimism "in light of progress achieved by the investigation", and added that the tribunal commits to the highest standards of an entirely judicial institution which has a sole objective of finding the truth in cases under its jurisdiction.
Bellemare stressed upon the importance of Lebanese trust in the integrity of the tribunal. He added that the mission of the prosecutor”s office was to "try terrorists, achieve justice for the victims, and contribute in putting an end to escaping punishment in Lebanon."
The Hague-based tribunal was set up by a U.N. Security Council resolution in 2007 to try suspects in the murder of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri.
The bombing was widely blamed on Syria although Damascus has denied any involvement. A U.N. commission of inquiry said it had found evidence to implicate Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services but there are no suspects in custody.