Translated material
Smells like a tribunal
Russia for convicting Hariri's killers, but without unnecessary haste
Terrorist attacks, including the assassinations of prominent politicians, have never before been the subject of international courts. The creation of the first such unique tribunal is progressing with difficulty and heated disputes. Russia plays an unadvertised, but far from secondary, role in this process. Moscow's special position has already raised doubts about whether such a tribunal will be created at all.According to Vremya Novostei, Russia is not at all against the tribunal, but only advocates for the legal purity of the constituent documents. This can be achieved by carefully checking all the nuances. In short, a tribunal will be created, but the later, the cleaner, that is, the better.
We are talking about an international tribunal of persons accused of the murder of 60-year-old politician and businessman Rafik Hariri. The motorcade of this former Lebanese prime minister was blown up in the center of Beirut on February 14, 2005. Another 22 people died with him. Suspicion fell on the then leaders of the Lebanese intelligence services, now arrested and known for their dependence on their colleagues from Syria. Hariri advocated reducing Syria's influence on Lebanon's economy and politics.
The investigation into the assassination of Hariri, recognized as a terrorist attack, is being conducted by a special international commission. It is now headed by Belgian investigator Serge Brammertz. His materials will form the basis for the work of the tribunal. At the same time, Brammertz’s team, together with the Lebanese, is investigating 14 other murders and attempts. By a strange coincidence, their victims were politicians and journalists seeking to limit Syrian influence.
To create a tribunal, the Lebanese government must sign an agreement with the UN. It is also necessary to develop a statute (charter) of the court, taking into account that this tribunal may become a precedent for other similar cases, not only in Lebanon. According to our newspaper, the Lebanese government, headed by Fuad al-Siniora, expected to receive the draft agreement and charter back in October. But disputes have arisen among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the organization overseeing the creation of the tribunal. Russia took a break to study the draft, drawn up with the active participation of French lawyers (by the way, President Jacques Chirac was friendly with Rafik Hariri), and proposed amendments.
These days, these documents are being discussed again at the UN Security Council in New York, and the French are trying to ensure that the work is completed as soon as possible. Moscow believes that haste in such an important matter is inappropriate.
What will be the consequences of the tribunal's work for the situation in troubled Lebanon and neighboring Syria? What will be the powers of the court? Who will finance it? Who will appoint the judges? After all, the UN Secretary General himself is one thing, and members of the Security Council, including Russia, which has the right of veto, are another. How long will the tribunal operate? As long as the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, established in 1993 for a period until 2010, or, for example, only three years at most?
Will the court limit itself to only examining the circumstances of Hariri's assassination or, contrary to Moscow's preferences, will its mandate be expanded to consider other terrorist attacks in Lebanon, starting with the attempted assassination of a politician in October 2004? And finally, will only the testimony of other defendants, without other evidence, be accepted as evidence of someone’s guilt?
The thoroughness of the Russians raised some doubts among our consultation partners. Referring to its sources in the UN Security Council, the Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat recently wrote that French President Jacques Chirac is irritated by delays in Moscow. The newspaper writes that the Russian Foreign Ministry, which is working on the amendments, “is actually defending Damascus,” with which Moscow is developing economic and military-technical cooperation. The publication claims that Jacques Chirac even called Vladimir Putin and complained. The Kremlin allegedly promised that the work would be accelerated.
However, delay may prove fatal - during this time, pro-Syrian political forces have become more active in Lebanon. If they come to power, the agreement with the UN will not be signed and the tribunal will not be created soon.