International Tribunal formation completed

by **Admin** Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:37 am

UN Under-Secretary for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel announced the complete formation of the International Tribunal charged with investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

In an interview with the Saudi Arabian daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, Michel said the tribunal is composed of 11 judges, four of whom are Lebanese. The remaining seven members are international judges. “The selection committee decided to choose the best existing judges on the basis of their solid judicial experience,” Michel said.

Michel refused to disclose the nationalities of the international judges. He noted that significant non-judicial steps had been completed, such as the drafting of the procedural rules and evidence which the tribunal will be based on, in addition to the election of a head for the tribunal, and an responsible for appeals.

The Under-Secretary confirmed that the court would “have teeth,” meaning that the prosecutor would have the power to issue warrants for arrest.

Michel said it was possible that some suspects were outside of Lebanon, in which case the countries “must cooperate with the tribunal, and on a voluntary basis, we hope.”

“It would be very difficult for any country to ignore cooperation,” he added. In the event of non-cooperation, he said that "the international community would not remain helpless and inactive.”

Michel emphasized that the tribunal of an international character would not be “a political tool in the hands of any party against another.”