Mehlis: No point in continuing investigation
Head of U.N. probe into assassination of former Lebanese PM invites Syria to launch its own investigation into killing to deal with unanswered questions, says extension of his commission’s mandate until Dec. 15 would provide another opportunity for Syria to ‘show greater and meaningful cooperation’
The head of a U.N. probe into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Detlev Mehlis, said there was little point in continuing his investigation in the face of continued and systematic Syrian non-compliance. The U.N. investigator said that all of the Syrian officials interviewed gave a similar answer.
“We haven’t decided yet if this investigation will go on because the way it went,” he said.
“We don’t know if it will make too much sense. We have interviewed many Syrian officials. We feel that under present conditions… it doesn’t make any sense to get the same standard answers. Even if we ask for witnesses to be interviewed outside Lebanon, which we did, the Syrian authorities don’t agree to it. The Syrians say: This cannot be done.”
The head of a U.N. probe into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri invited Syria on Tuesday to launch its own investigation into the killing to deal with unanswered questions.
Earlier, the German prosecutor addressed the U.N. Security Council on his written report that found evidence of Syrian involvement in the Feb. 14 killing of Hariri in Beirut. He also had faulted Damascus for a lack of cooperation with his commission.
Mehlis said the extension of his commission’s mandate until Dec. 15 would provide another opportunity for Syria to “Show greater and meaningful cooperation, and to provide any relevant substantial evidence on the assassination.”
“For this reason, the Syrian authorities may wish to carry out on their part their own investigation into the assassination of Mr. Hariri in an open and transparent manner,” Mehlis said.
“This would enable the commission to fill in the gaps and to have a clearer picture about the organizers and perpetrators of the 14 February terrorist act,” he added.
The United States and France are working on a resolution that would demand Syria cooperate with the Mehlis commission and hope for adoption soon, perhaps at a foreign minister council meeting on Monday the Bush administration is trying to arrange. But Russia and China are cautious and no text has yet emerged.
'Hariri supported Syria’s role in Lebanon'
Lebanese representative Boutros Askar said during the meeting, “Lebanon agrees with the report’s content and calls for punishing the criminals. This murder has destabilized Lebanon’s security. We support the extension of the probe until December 15 and we will continue to cooperate with the investigators.
Syria’s ambassador to the U.N., Faisal Mekdad, said in response, “It is strange that only Syria is being blamed for this crime (Hariri assassination). Lebanon and Syria are historically linked.
“Without Syria’s sacrifices, the civil war that broke out in 1975 and destroyed Lebanon would not have been stopped,” he said.
“The late Prime Minister Hariri also supported Syria’s role in Lebanon.”
Syria’s ambassador added that “it was unfortunate to read in the report that in light of Syria’s presence in Lebanon the crime could not have been committed without its knowledge; so what can be said about the 9/11 attacks, and the Madrid and London terror attacks, as well as many others?
“What does this say about those countries, which have substantial security and intelligence capabilities? Couldn’t the Hariri assassination have taken place without the approval of Lebanon and Syria’s security services? This in itself is an accusation against the security services in every country that has seen a crime take place in its territory.”
Mekdad continued: “I hereby declare that Syria will continue to cooperate with the investigators and will divulge any information pertaining to the probe. President (Bashar) Assad has stated that Syria is innocent and is willing to continue to put any Syrian involved in the murder on trial; Syria was a victim in this crime, especially in light of the fact that the relations between Syria and Hariri were good.”
Earlier President George W. Bush said he hoped Syria would cooperate with the investigation, adding military action by Washington was a last resort.
“A military (option) is always the last choice of a President,” Bush told al-Arabiya television.
“I am hoping that they will cooperate. It (military) is the last - very last option ... But on the other hand, you know - and I’ve worked hard for diplomacy and will continue to work the diplomatic angle on this issue,” the president said.
Syria must meet demands by the international community including expelling Palestinian terror groups, preventing insurgents from crossing its borders into Iraq to fight U.S. troops and ending Syrian interference in Lebanon, he said.
“Nobody wants there to be a confrontation. On the other hand, there must be serious pressure applied,” Bush said.
