The UN Security Council was set to agree a six-month extension of the UN investigation of the murder of a Lebanese ex-premier, upping the pressure on Syria, and to authorize helping Lebanon probe recent murders of anti-Syrian politicians. Experts of the 15-member council met early Thursday to haggle over the latest draft submitted by France, the United States and Britain on the mandate of the UN panel probing the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri last February.In the face of objections from some council members, including Russia and Algeria, the Western co-sponsors Wednesday amended an initial draft that would have broadened the mandate of the Mehlis panel to "include investigations on the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Lebanon since October 1, 2004." Instead the new draft would ask UN chief Kofi Annan in consultations with the commission and the Lebanese government "to present recommendations to expand the mandate of the commission to include investigations of those other attacks," including Monday's car bombing in Beirut which killed prominent lawmaker Gibran Tueni.
The new draft also deleted paragraphs that referred to the Mehlis panel's findings further implicating Syrian officials in Hariri's murder last February. Algeria and Russia appeared keen to avoid giving the impression that, in the absence of any compelling evidence, Syria is responsible for those attacks.
The draft however expresses deep concern at the Mehlis panel's findings that Syria had yet to provide full and unconditional cooperation with the probe as demanded by a council resolution adopted in October. It also calls on the enquiry panel to report to the Security Council on the progress of the investigation every three months.