MIDDLE EAST: The outgoing head of the UN team investigating the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri said he believes Syria was behind the murder. In an interview published on Saturday in the Arabic daily al-Sharq al-Awsat, Detlev Mehlis stated flatly, "The Syrian authorities are responsible."
Mr Mehlis, a German prosecutor, has said the attacks on Lebanese critics of Syria, which followed the killing of Mr Hariri last February, were connected.
The latest attack was the December 12th killing by massive car bomb of the editor of Beirut's leading daily al-Nahar and member of parliament Gibran Tueni, a sharp critic of Syria's involvement in Lebanese politics.
Mr Mehlis submitted two reports on the Hariri case, the first in October and the second last week. Both put forward evidence that high-ranking Lebanese and Syrian intelligence officials were involved in Mr Hariri's murder. Mr Mehlis blamed Damascus for obstructing the investigation, meant to have concluded on December 15th.
Late last Thursday, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1644, which extended the investigation for another six months, expanded its mandate to provide assistance to Lebanese investigations into subsequent killings of anti-Syrian activists, and proposed the establishment of a "tribunal of an international character" to try those accused of killing Mr Hariri.
While the resolution said that the council "is deeply concerned" over the lack of full Syrian co-operation, it did not impose punitive sanctions threatened by Resolution 1636 passed in October.
