|
Obama reaffirms US support for Hariri tribunal
The U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Thursday to support U.N. moves to bring to justice the killers of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri ahead of the fourth anniversary of his assassination."As we share our grief with the Lebanese people over the loss of Prime Minister Hariri, we also share our conviction that his sacrifice will not be in vain," Obama said in a statement ahead of Saturday's anniversary. "The United States fully supports the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, whose work will begin in a few weeks, to bring those responsible for this horrific crime and those that followed to justice." His predecessor George W. Bush, who left office last month, had also pushed for a thorough investigation of the killing of Hariri and 22 other people in a car bomb explosion in Beirut in February 2005. Some anti-Syrian politicians have said Syria was behind the suicide bombing but Damascus denies this. The assassination sparked a worldwide outcry that forced the withdrawal of Syrian troops that had been in Lebanon for nearly 30 years. The U.N. tribunal to try Hariri's alleged killers is due to open its doors on March 1, housed in the former headquarters of the Dutch intelligence service on the outskirts of The Hague. The tribunal will have 11 judges, including four from Lebanon. Posted by: Fred 2009-02-13 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=262424 |