Lebanon Seeks Husam's Arrest

by **Admin** Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:06 am

Investigating Magistrate Sami Sodqi issued an arrest warrant in absentia against Syrian citizen Husam Husam for threatening to kill journalist Faris Khashan.

Khashan, who works for al-Mustaqbal newspaper, filed a complaint against Husam after the Syrian national made a death threat in a telephone call in January.

Sodqi has sent the arrest warrant to Syria, only to be returned with a note saying Husam's whereabouts are not known.

Husam had testified before the U.N. commission investigating the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

"Husam first approached the UN International Independent Investigation Commission at the end of June 2005 and identified himself as a former Syrian intelligence officer in Lebanon," a statement from the U.N. commission had said.

"In his witness statement signed and dated September 1, 2005, Mr. Husam stated: 'I am here voluntarily to give a statement to the UNIIIC. I have not been threatened or forced to come here, nor have I been offered any promises or incentives to do so'.

"'I understand that by giving knowingly false information in this witness statement I may commit a crime against the laws of the Republic of Lebanon,'" the statement quoted him as saying.

The commission insisted it had "never offered or provided" any incentive for testimony and added that, according to Husam's own statements, it was the Syrian authorities that he was afraid of.

"On several occasions Mr. Husam expressed fear to UNIIIC that he and his family could be harmed by Syrian security elements," its statement said.