Syria invites UN to discuss Hariri probes
Syrian Prosecutor-General Ghada Murad has invited the chief UN investigator into the assassination of Rafik Hariri for talks on co-ordinating his probe with Syria’s newly appointed investigation.
Murad, who heads the Syrian probe into the killing of the former Lebanese prime minister, has asked the United Nations’ Detlev Mehlis to come to Damascus “to search for the best means and mechanisms of co-operating between the two commissions,” SANA reported.
The report did not mention the UN commission’s request to interview six Syrian government officials, but Syrian President Bashar Assad may answer this point in a speech that he is scheduled to give to the nation tomorrow.
The speech, which was announced last night, is expected to focus on the increasing pressure that Syria is facing over the Hariri assassination.
Last week, the UN Security Council demanded that Syria cooperate fully with the Mehlis commission, and warned it of further action if it failed to do so.
The council’s resolution followed an interim report by the commission which found that Hariri’s killing by a massive truck bomb in Beirut on February 14 could not have been carried out without the complicity of Syrian and Lebanese intelligence.
The report also accused Syria of providing only limited cooperation to the commission.
Syria has rejected the report’s findings, but has said it will cooperate with the commission.
It also took up the report’s suggestion of appointing its own investigation, which is headed by Murad.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa held discussions with Syrian leaders in Damascus today about Syria’s differences with the UN Security Council on the Hariri probe.
Asked how Syria would respond to the UN commission’s request to interview its six officials, Moussa said: “This issue should be dealt with between Syria and Mehlis, or between the United Nations and Syria. Consultations are under way now.”
Unconfirmed reports say the six officials include Gen Assef Shawkat, the president’s brother-in-law and chief of Syria’s military intelligence service.
In her letter to Mehlis, Murad said “the (Syrian) commission highly appreciates your mission and is keen to unveil the full truth, and expresses its readiness to cooperate and co-ordinate fully with you,” according to the SANA report.
