[An Nahar] Prominent international judiciary sources in The Hague have warned of the seriousness of the current period in Leb, expressing real concerns over a possible return of liquidations "as a tool in the ongoing political conflict regarding the Special Tribunal for Leb."A former official with the international investigation commission -- who was part of investigations into the murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri and his
He noted that the murder had taken place hundreds of meters away from the HQ of the international investigation commission in the Monteverde area, "as a double message simultaneously addressed to the international investigation commission and Tueni's political camp."
In an interview with Naharnet in The Hague, the U.N. official added that he fears new liquidations would target individuals directly related to the U.N. probe and the content of the anticipated indictment, such as witnesses, suspects and security personnel involved in analyzing telecom data, wiretapping and collecting evidences and information.
However,
The infamous
However...
he ruled out any "serious" targeting of Lebanese politicians or STL staff.
The U.N. official noted that, according to indications, the speculations about a possible issuance of an indictment next month might turn out to be true, which requires taking serious security measures to prevent any breaches that may allow the return of liquidations.
He stressed that any security mishaps "will not affect the tribunal's course and its work," noting that repercussions would affect Leb's stability and security, without those upset by the STL being able to put an end to its work.
The former Hariri probe employee noted that the Serbian authorities' boycott of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the nineties of last century -- in addition to the committed massacres, the fought wars and the political and ethnical turmoil the former Yugoslav nations had witnessed -- had not led to halting the mission of the Yugoslavia tribunal.
"On the contrary, those who had obstructed its work ended up in its (Yugoslavia tribunal's) detention places and then appeared before its judges prior to being convicted and sent to prisons in European countries with which the tribunal had signed agreements in this regard," the U.N. official added.