One day after the STL Prosecutor submitted the indictment against suspects in the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri to the Pre-trial Judge, the United States and the Israeli enemy couldn’t hide their enthusiasm and happiness.
Daniel Bellemare, the STL Prosecutor, was preoccupied himself with defending his politicized indictment and stressing that confidentiality was a must in the case.
BELLEMARE: CONFIDENTIALITY IS ESSENTIAL
According to Bellemare, any speculation about the contents of the indictment would be counter-productive. That’s why he warned, in a televised speech he addressed to the Lebanese people, against speculation on the indictment and stressed that "while justice may be slow, it is deliberate."
Bellemare, who filed the indictment for the 2005 murder of Hariri on Monday, said that the document has to remain secret for now. "Confidentiality is essential as I cannot presume that the pre-trial judge will confirm the indictment. If it is confirmed, the content of the document will be made public in due course."
"Even if the indictment is confirmed by the pre-trial judge, the person or persons whose identity is contained in the document are still presumed innocent," Bellemare stressed, seeking to calm tensions that are expected in Lebanon, as a main political group believes the indictment is part of the American-Israeli plot against the Resistance.
The indictment marks the launch of the judicial phase of the tribunal's work and "represents the fruit of the hard work under challenging circumstances," he said. He noted that the confidential indictment is important "for the international community and for those who believe in international justice."
ISRAEL SATISFIED, HAPPY!
The Lebanese concerns were, however, confirmed by the Israeli media…
Indeed, Israeli political circles couldn’t hide their state of happiness and satisfaction following the latest developments related to the submission of the indictment. Some of them went on to consider the achievement as a continuation for the Israeli July 2006 war against the Resistance party.
According to the Israeli analysts and experts, the indictment is expected to put Hezbollah face to face with a major part of the Lebanese people. Therefore, it would be the second part of the July 2006 war against Lebanon, they were quoted as saying. They agreed that the indictment constitutes a very significant step in the Israeli battle against Hezbollah.
“We should not undermine the indictment,” Zionist expert on Arab affairs Oded Granot said. “For the first time ever, an international side, including delegates from Lebanon, accuses Hezbollah of killing Rafiq Hariri,” he added. “This would add to the obstacles faced by Hezbollah following the July 2006 war and the assassination of its top military commander Imad Moghniyyeh in 2008. It’s a real catastrophe facing Hezbollah.”
ISRAEL AWARE OF INDICTMENT’S CONTENT!
Israeli sources, meanwhile, confirmed previous reports about the content of the indictment, believed by Bellemare to be ‘confidential’. They said that senior members in Hezbollah would be accused of involvement in Hariri’s assassination. The indictment will also name high decision making personalities in Syria and Iran.
Ehud Ya'ari, an Israeli expert on Arab affairs, said the indictment would accuse a group from Hezbollah of involvement in Hariri’s murder. He said that accused group would include senior leaders in the Resistance party. But another Israeli expert on Arab affairs said that Syria and Iran would be accused of involvement in the crime, in addition to Hezbollah.
The Israeli Television, meanwhile, advised the head of the caretaker government in Lebanon Saad Hariri, the son of Rafiq Hariri, to be honest with himself and to say no to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.
US SATISFIED…
The US enthusiasm to the tribunal’s indictment was not less remarkable…
US President Barack Obama said he welcomes the first indictment in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. He called the indictment an important step toward ending the era of impunity for murder in Lebanon and achieving justice for its people. He called on all Lebanese leaders and factions to preserve calm and exercise restraint.
The US president said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon must now be allowed to continue its work without interference and coercion. "Any attempt to fuel tensions and instability, in Lebanon or in the region, will only undermine the very freedom and aspirations that the Lebanese people seek and that so many nations support," he said.
For her part, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the indictment’s release as an important step toward justice and ending impunity for murder. "Those who oppose the tribunal seek to create a false choice between justice and stability in Lebanon; we reject this," she said in a statement released by the State Department. "We are confident that the tribunal will continue to operate according to the highest standards of judicial independence and integrity," she added.
Clinton reiterated that the US calls on all parties in Lebanon to promote calm and continue to respect the court. While great progress has been made since Hariri's murder in 2005, "it will be impossible to achieve the peace and stability that the people of Lebanon deserve unless and until the era of impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon is brought to an end," she said.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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