International Tribunal Would End Impunity
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes is an "historic development" that would finish off the traditional state of impunity.
Ban, in an interview with the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, said setting March 1 a schedule for the tribunal to function is an "historic development that reflects a significant and extremely important meaning, not just at the judicial level, but also at the level of its political concept."
"We are committed to maintaining our determination on finishing off impunity," Ban stressed.
Chief of the U.N. commission probing the Hariri assassination and related crimes Daniel Bellemare is "ready to assume his post as prosecutor general for the international tribunal," Ban noted.
The trial, he said, would not be "easy. It is a very difficult, sensitive and serious process."
"Let us wait and see when the charge sheet in the case would be issued," Ban said in answering a question.
He said he had discussed with Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Foreign Minister Walid Muallem the topic of Palestinian factions that threaten Lebanon”s sovereignty and he would raise the issue, among other topics, with Premier Fouad Saniora in Qatar on Sunday.
Ban also said he intends to discuss with Iran "in the future" its alleged role in smuggling weapons to Hizbullah in cooperation with Syria.
He reiterated that Syria and Israel have failed to provide him with requested documents regarding sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms. "I am really frustrated by the slow pace on this issue."
Ban criticized Israel for "not providing satisfactory response" to proposals by the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) regarding withdrawal from the Lebanese sector of the Ghajar village.
Response by the Lebanese Government to UNIFIL”s proposals was "very positive," Ban said.