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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Security team to protect tribunal judges |
| 2009-03-20 |
| Lebanese security forces have assembled a special 300-member team to protect the four Lebanese judges in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, although the release of their names has been delayed because of "security concerns," pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday. According to the newspaper, UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who has the final decision on the matter, has not yet agreed to release the names of the judges because of security concerns. The report added that Lebanon has assembled a special 300-strong security force to protect the judges. A Lebanese security official told Ash-Sharq al-Awsat that its members have been "subjected to very specialized training." Once the identities of the judges are made public, the force will "carry out [the judges'] protection, the protection of their houses, and the protection of their families." The team is said to resemble "Fuhoud," the group which handles the security of visiting foreign delegations and high-level officials and handled the security of the international tribunal's prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, who was head of the UN commission investigating former Lebanese Prime Minster Rafik Hariri's assassination. The group only awaits "information from the UN to begin its work," a Lebanese security official told Ash-Sharq al-Awsat. Even though the names of the judges have not yet been released, security authorities have stressed that measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the judges and their kin. UN spokesman Farhan Haq told the newspaper that the organization has "trust in Lebanese security authorities." However, despite this trust and the preparedness achieved by Lebanese security officials, the names remain a secret. |
| Posted by:Fred |