DAMASCUS, Oct 29: Faced with the threat of UN sanctions, Syria launched its own investigation on Saturday into the killing of Lebanon’s former prime minister Rafik al Hariri.
The inquiry, ordered by Syrian President Bashar al Assad, will question Syrian civilians and military personnel and cooperate with a UN inquiry that has implicated senior Syrian officials in the Feb 14 assassination.
Detlev Mehlis, leading the UN investigation into Mr Hariri’s murder, urged Syria at a Security Council meeting earlier this week to set up its own probe and to cooperate fully with international investigators.
Syria has denied any role in Mr Hariri’s killing and dismissed Mr Mehlis’s report as politicized, but it is under growing international pressure to cooperate or risk economic sanctions.
“The committee will cooperate with the International Independent Investigation Commission and the Lebanese judicial authorities in everything that relates to the investigative procedures,” a foreign ministry source said.
“It will proceed with the investigation of Syrian civilians and military in everything that relates to the mission of the International Independent Investigation Commission.”
The United States and France say they are confident a tough UN Security Council resolution against Syria will be adopted at a foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, although Russia and China have misgivings.
The draft resolution threatens economic sanctions against Damascus if it does not cooperate fully with the UN inquiry and imposes a travel ban and freeze on overseas assets of those suspected in the killing.
EASING THE PRESSURE? The UN report this month found the decision to kill Mr Hariri ‘could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials’ colluding with Lebanese officials.
It named senior Syrian security officials, including Mr Assad’s brother and brother-in-law and their Lebanese allies, as possible suspects in the truck bombing that killed Mr Hariri and 22 other people.
Syria has rejected Mr Mehlis’s accusation that it did not cooperate with his investigation and says the report does not contain enough evidence to indict any of its officials.
Damascus apparently hopes its own probe will defuse international and Lebanese pressure that forced it to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April after 29 years and ease its political grip on its neighbour.
“It’s timely and silences those who were betting Syria would not allow the interrogation of any Syrian,” said Ahmad al Haj Ali, a political analyst and member of the ruling Baath Party.
“The move shows confidence by the leadership that we are not guilty and don’t fear anything.”
The Syrian inquiry was set up by means of a legislative decree signed by Mr Assad with immediate effect.
The committee will be headed by Syria’s public prosecutor and will include the military public prosecutor and a magistrate appointed by the justice minister.
The committee will be allowed to call in other civilian and military magistrates to assist in the investigation.
It was not clear how high up the Syrian probe could go or whether Damascus would be prepared to indict its own officials if they were suspected of involvement in the killing.
Mr Assad told CNN this month that he could not have given the order to kill Mr Hariri and that any Syrian involvement was considered treason and would be punished in Syria or internationally.
Pro-reform Syrian analyst Aymen Abdul Nour said the move was belated and appointing independent legal experts to the committee would have given it more credibility. —Reuters
