Sunday 24 May 2009

Bellemar Spokeswoman: Where Did Der Spiegel Get This Story From?


Bellemar Spokeswoman: Where Did Der Spiegel Get This Story From?
Mohamad Shmaysani Readers Number : 562

24/05/2009

The spokeswoman for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Radiya Ashouri that “we don’t know where did the Der Spiegel magazine get this information from and we don’t know where did they bring this story from.” Ashouri stressed general prosecutor Daniel Bellemar “does not issue any comment on issues that are related to the Hariri investigation operational aspects.

Speaking to the Lebanese Al-Intiqad website, Ashouri refuted claims that “anyone in the general prosecutor’s office had spoken to the German magazine about anything.” She added that if there had been something to speak about, “Mr. Bellemar would have directly addressed it without resorting to the media. We have a clear policy of not leaking any information about the tribunal through media outlets, and we have stressing this since the beginning.”

Bellemar’s spokeswoman also denied allegations that any member of the tribunal’s panel had spoken to Der Spiegel. “When Der Spiegel spoke about Bellemar’s spokesperson, they meant me. They emailed me and asked a few questions. My answer was that the tribunal does not deal with investion files through the media and adopts the policy of direct announcement by the part of Mr. Bellemar..If we had something to say, we would have said it directly, not through media outlets.”

Der Spiegel’s Erich Follath claimed that the international committee investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister martyr Rafik Hariri “has reached surprising new conclusions -- and it is keeping them secret – pointing to Hezbollah. After making a long sentimental introduction and gave an affective background about martyr Hariri and the parties and states that “hated secular Hariri”, Follath said: ”Intensive investigations in Lebanon are all pointing to a new conclusion: that it was not the Syrians, but instead special forces of the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah ("Party of God") that planned and executed the diabolical attack. “ Follath also stated names in what he called “the circle of hell” and claimed that “according to the Lebanese security forces, all of the numbers involved apparently belong to the "operational arm" of Hezbollah.”

According to observers, Follath’s baseless allegations are part of a coordinated campaign to put Hezbollah and Lebanese security forces at loggerheads, at a time coordination between the two sides has so far led to the dismantling of some ten Israeli spy networks in Lebanon. Der Spiegel’s report was published amid Israeli official silence and calls for the UN Security Council to take a decisive position as to this grave and most serious violation of UNSCR1701. Follath’s report also comes at a time of extremely serious US-Israeli concern about the outcome of the upcoming elections in Lebanon on June 7, in which the Lebanese National Opposition, of which Hezbollah is a key constituent, are likely to score the majority in parliament and form the next Lebanese government.

Hezbollah dismissed Follath’s report that was also broadcast on Al-Arabiya channel as fabricated police stories cooked in the same black room that has been keen on fabricating such stories for over four years regarding the Syrians and the four Lebanese officers and others.”

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