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Siniora wants to be in the loop on probe of Mughniyeh's murder
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora appointed two officials on Saturday to coordinate between Lebanon and Syria on the status of the investigation of the assassination of Hezbollah's Imad Mughniyeh.The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Siniora instructed Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza and chairman of the Higher Lebanese Syrian Council Nasri Khoury to maintain contacts with the Syrian authorities with the aim of being " regularly informed on the ongoing investigation in the assassination of Lebanese citizen Imad Mughniyeh, who is a member of Hezbollah command and who was killed in Damascus on Feb. 12. Many intelligence experts are of the opinion that the assassination of Mughniyeh could only have taken place with the collaboration of the Syrian intelligence . These experts do not deny that Israel may be behind the assassination , but the job could not have been done without the help of the Syrians. The Iranians are reportedly unhappy with the progress of the Syrian investigation and have publicly stated that they are involved along with the Syrians in probing the murder. There were also reports that Hezbollah has also sent its own team of investigators to Damascus, but Syria has denied the involvement of any outside parties in the investigation. This was also confirmed yesterday by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during his speech. Given the possible implications of the Syrian intelligence in this crime , many doubt the Damascus regime abilities in probing such a murder, specially since Assef Shawkat , the top man of the Syrian intelligence is the brother-in- law of the Syrian president Bashar al Assad. According to MP Samir Franjiyeh Syrias negotiator with Israel , the Syrian-American Abraham Suleiman was talking to Israeli officials in Ankara Turkey about the Israeli Syrian relationship , the night Mughniyeh was assassinated and Israeli Defense Minster Ehud Barak was at the time in Turkey too. Turkey, which has good relations with both Syria and Israel has been trying to broker an agreement between them. Communications Minister Marwan Hamade questioned Hezbollahs call for avenging the killing of Mughniyeh . Why wouldn't Syria avenge the assassination of Mughniyeh who was killed in Damascus not in Lebanon.? He asked. Mughniyeh assassination in a Damascus suburb was a major insult to Syria's national security, unless Syria was involved in liquidating him," Hamade added. Posted by: Fred 2008-02-24 |
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