Hariri Tribunal … Soon to be a Reality

by **Admin** Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:29 pm

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and related crimes will soon be a reality, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced.
Ban on Thursday has reportedly informed the U.N. Security Council that preparations are complete for the start of trials.

"The stage has begun for launching" of trials, Ban said in a report to the Security Council.

That was an acknowledgement that all decisive landmarks in the process of making the Special Tribunal a reality have been achieved. They include the selection of the judges, the appointment of the Prosecutor, the finalization of a headquarters agreement with the Government of the Netherlands enabling the tribunal to be based in that country, and agreement on a building near The Hague to house the tribunal.

The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, which has obtained a copy of the report, said Friday that Ban told the Security Council that judges were "soon" expected to carry out private contacts to facilitate drafting of procedural laws.

He said the other judges will resume work "on a date I will set after consulting with the tribunal president."

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad said last week that the international tribunal was ready to launch trials.

"The U.N. has everything it needs for the first year to activate the tribunal," Khalilzad said.

Al Hayat said that Ban noted to the importance of "appropriate security measures" undertaken to safeguard the tribunal's staff.

He said the general secretariat and the U.N. commission investigating Hariri's killing which is headed by Daniel Bellemare as well as experts from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia were working hand-in-hand to "develop a strategy to protect witnesses."