UN court issues Hariri warrants

30 June 2011 Last updated at 18:40 GMT Rafik Hariri is widely credited with getting Lebanon back on its feet after the 15-year civil war Four arrest warrants have been issued by the UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 murder of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the court said.

Hariri's son, Saad, welcomed the indictments and described them as a "historic moment" for Lebanon.

Local reports say the warrants name senior members of the Shia militant and political group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has repeatedly denounced the tribunal and vowed to retaliate.

Divisions over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), based in The Hague, have thrown the country into political turmoil and prompted fears of sectarian unrest.

'Innocent until proven guilty'

Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed in February 2005 in central Beirut when a huge bomb went off as his motorcade passed by.

Continue reading the main story Owen Bennett-Jones BBC News, Beirut

The arrest warrants divide opinion in Lebanon. Many Lebanese want to know who killed Rafik Hariri. But the long years of delay in the international judicial process have made many people sceptical wondering whether the truth will ever come out.

Others believe that the constant vulnerability of Lebanon's political system means that stability is more important than justice. They question whether the tribunal process and the risks it entails are worth it.

There are also Lebanese - many of them Hezbollah supporters - who reject the tribunal outright, seeing it as a tool of Israel and the West to discredit enemies such as Syria and Hezbollah.

The newly installed government of Najib Mikati is well aware of the divergent views. And with Hezbollah a dominant force in the new government, handling the issue is going to be an early test of the new prime minister's political skills.

On Thursday, Lebanon's state prosecutor Saeed Mirza said he had received the indictments and four arrest warrants from an STL delegation in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The STL later confirmed the indictment, stating that the judge "is satisfied that there is prima facie evidence for this case to proceed to trial".

It added that it would not reveal the identities of those named in the indictment.

"Judge Fransen has ruled that the indictment shall remain confidential in order to assist the Lebanese authorities in fulfilling their obligations to arrest the accused," the statement reads.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his government would deal "responsibly and realistically" with the indictment, while "bearing in mind that these are accusations and not verdicts".

"All suspects are innocent until proven guilty," Mr Mikati told a news conference.

But the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Beirut says the new prime minister is in a difficult position.

With Hezbollah now a strong force in the new Lebanese government, it is difficult to see how any arrests could be made, our correspondent says.

In a policy statement, the government said it would "follow the progress of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon... as long as it does not negatively affect Lebanon's stability and civil peace."

Thirty days Continue reading the main story February 2005: Rafik Hariri is killed in a bombing in BeirutApril 2005: Syrian troops leave Lebanon after 29 years amid international pressure, despite Damascus denying any role in the killingJune 2007: UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) createdApril 2009: The STL orders the release of four Lebanese generals detained in 2005October 2010: Hezbollah urges all Lebanese to boycott the UN inquiry January 2011: Hezbollah forces collapse of government led by Saad Hariri, Rafik Hariri's son, after he refuses to stop co-operating with the tribunalOfficials from Hezbollah declined to comment, but the group's al-Manar television described the indictment as "politicised".

Hezbollah has denied always any role in the assassination. The group claims the tribunal is a plot involving the United States, Israel and France, and the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has threatened to cut the hand of anyone who tries to arrest Hezbollah members.

Saad Hariri - himself a former prime minister - described the indictment over his father's case as a milestone for the country.

"After many years of patience, of struggle... today, we witness a historic moment in Lebanese politics, justice and security," he said.

He urged Lebanon's new Hezbollah-dominated government to live up to its international obligations.

Hezbollah forced the collapse of Saad Hariri's government in January after he refused to stop co-operating with the tribunal.

Mr Mikati has previously said that he would strive to uphold Lebanon's international obligations, but that he was also mindful of his responsibilities when it came to the country's stability.

According to tribunal officials, Lebanon now has 30 days to serve out the arrest warrants.

If the suspects are not arrested within that period, the STL will then make public the indictment and summon the suspects to appear before the court.

UN-backed court issues Hariri indictment, warrants (AFP)

BEIRUT (AFP) – A UN-backed court on Thursday issued a long-awaited indictment and arrest warrants for the 2005 murder of Lebanon's ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, with members of the powerful Hezbollah reportedly among those named.

Prosecutor General Said Mirza said he received the sealed indictment and arrest warrants in the case, which many fear could spark political crisis and sectarian unrest.

The Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) confirmed that it had issued an indictment Tuesday and submitted a copy and related arrest warrants to Lebanese authorities on Thursday.

It disclosed neither the nature of the charges nor the suspects' identities.

US State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters confirmation of the indictments was "an important step towards justice and ending impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon."

Hariri's son and political heir Saad hailed the indictment as a "historic" moment for Lebanon and urged the government of Najib Mikati, dominated by Hezbollah and its allies, to cooperate with the STL.

"After many years of patience, of struggle... today, we witness a historic moment in Lebanese politics, justice and security," Hariri said in a statement.

A judicial official told AFP arrest warrants were issued for four Lebanese suspects, identified by local media as Hezbollah members.

LBC television reported that they include Mustafa Badreddine, brother-in-law of top Hezbollah operative Imad Mughniyeh who was murdered in a 2008 bombing in Damascus.

Badreddine was said to have supervised the Hariri assassination. He had previously been arrested in Kuwait for planning to bomb the US embassy, LBC reported.

Also among the four, LBC said, is Salim Ayyash, a Hezbollah member who holds US citizenship and headed the cell that carried out the bombing.

LBC said Assad Sabra and Hussein Anaissi, also of Hezbollah, were in charge of coordinating with Ahmad Abu Adas, a Palestinian who contacted Al-Jazeera television following the Hariri assassination to say he had carried out bombing.

Hezbollah officials contacted by AFP declined to comment.

But the party's Al-Manar television dismissed the court as "politicised" and said it bore the mark of being at the service of intelligence agencies.

The Iranian- and Syrian-backed group has warned it would "cut off the hand" of anyone who attempts to arrest party members linked to the February 14, 2005 seaside bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others.

Hezbollah forced the collapse of Saad Hariri's Western-backed unity government in January after he refused to stop cooperating with the tribunal.

Mikati, his successor, was appointed with the blessing of Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful political and military force.

On Thursday, Mikati issued his government policy statement which failed to clearly spell out whether his cabinet would continue cooperating with the tribunal.

"The government confirms that it will follow the progress of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was set up in principle to see justice served in a manner that is neither politicised nor vengeful, and as long as it does not negatively affect Lebanon's stability and civil peace," read the ambiguously worded statement.

Members of Hariri's "March 14" coalition said the statement was a clear sign Mikati's government would not abide by its international obligations.

"They (the Mikati government) consider that justice would undermine stability and national unity," Fares Soueid, secretary general of the "March 14" opposition, told AFP.

"They picked stability and national unity over justice... while we consider that stability cannot be at the expense of justice."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on authorities to cooperate in handing over suspects for trial.

"The secretary general calls on all states to support the independent judicial process, in particular by cooperating with the Special Tribunal in the execution of the indictment and arrest warrants," a spokesperson said in New York.

Lebanon now has 30 days to serve out the arrest warrants. If the suspects are not arrested within that period, the STL can then publicly call on those accused to surrender.

The STL was set up in The Hague in 2009 by the United Nations to try those alleged to have carried out Hariri's killing.

The murder sparked the so-called Cedar Revolution, a wave of mass protests that, combined with international pressure, forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after a 29-year deployment.

Syria was widely suspected of having a hand in Hariri's murder but has denied involvement.