Lebanon bloc urges arrests in Hariri killing (AP)

BEIRUT – Lebanon's pro-Western political faction has called on the government to respect an international tribunal calling for the arrest of four Hezbollah members in the assassination of a former prime minister.

Hezbollah's leader denies his group had any role in Rafik Harri's 2005 killing and has vowed to protect suspects from arrest.

But the pro-Western bloc known as March 14 said in a statement late Sunday that Hezbollah is holding the country hostage by making it choose between justice and stability.

The Cabinet is packed with Hezbollah allies, so there is little enthusiasm within the current leadership to press forward with the case.

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Hezbollah blames Israel for Hariri killing

Hezbollah's Nasrallah: "No one is allowed to investigate Israel"Four Hezbollah members were indicted in connection with the killing, a source told CNNNasrallah says the court's goal is to sow Sunni-Shiite division

(CNN) -- Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah repeated his stance that Israel was behind the killing of Lebanon's former prime minister six years ago and slammed the U.N.-backed court for sowing discord in Lebanon.

"The tribunal was established for an obvious political goal, and no one is allowed to investigate Israel," he said on Lebanese TV Saturday, explaining his position on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's indictments in connection with the 2005 attack, which left Rafik Hariri and 22 others dead.

"Instead of investigating with Israel, they cooperated with Israel."

The tribunal submitted to Lebanese authorities a sealed indictment and arrest warrants this week for an unknown number of suspects. A highly placed source in the Lebanese Army told CNN the four include Mustafa Badreddine, Hasan Oneisa, Salim Ayyah and Asad Sabra -- all Hezbollah members.

Many Lebanese believe the killing revolved around the controversies over Syria's role in Lebanon, occupied at the time by Syrian troops, and the Damascus government's strong political influence in Lebanon.

Many Lebanese believe Hariri wanted the Syrians to withdraw from Lebanon and lessen Syria's influence, and many suspect that Syria and its ally Hezbollah went after Hariri because of his stance on this issue.

Hezbollah is a Shiite political faction in Lebanon that provides social services to its constituents. It has long been regarded as a terrorist organization by the United States and as an ally of Iran.

It has had longstanding animosity toward the tribunal, based on the expectation that some of its members would be indicted as conspirators in Hariri's assassination. Nasrallah has accused the group's arch-enemy Israel of the assassination.

Nasrallah also criticized the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which issued the indictments, for sowing discord.

"We cannot cancel the tribunal because the tribunal was created by the U.N. Security Council that is ruled by the American will," he told viewers of al-Manar, the Lebanese TV station affiliated with Hezbollah.

"The most dangerous goal of this tribunal is to create strife, a civil war in Lebanon, or especially a division between the Sunni and Shiite in Lebanon."

A U.N. source familiar with the tribunal said the people indicted include alleged perpetrators on the ground.

Badreddine -- who is the brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh, a former Hezbollah commander who was assassinated in Syria in 2008 -- is reported to be a member of Hezbollah's advisory council.

Two additional lists of indictments are expected later this summer and are expected to include the organizers and planners of the attack, the U.N. source said.

Those suspected connections of Hezbollah and the Syrian government to the killing have raised tensions in the country, stoking fears of sectarian conflict erupting in the ethnically and religiously diverse nation, which endured a civil war from 1975 to 1990.

Syria had thousands of troops in Lebanon and great influence in the country until mass protests after Hariri's assassination, known as the Cedar Revolution, forced their withdrawal. Syria has denied any involvement in the assassination.

Another result of the anger toward the attack was the creation of the tribunal. The United Nations and the Lebanese Republic negotiated an agreement on the establishment of the body, based in the Netherlands.

CNN

Hezbollah pair indicted for Hariri plot

(CNN) -- Four members of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah have been indicted in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a high-placed source in the Lebanese Army confirmed on Thursday.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued the indictments, and a U.N. source familiar with the body said the people include alleged perpetrators on the ground.

Multiple sources in the region said they include Mustafa Badreddine.

Badreddine -- who is the brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh, a former Hezbollah commander who was assassinated in Syria in 2008 -- is reported to be a member of Hezbollah's advisory council. The other names on the list are Hasan Oneisa, Salim Ayyah and Asad Sabra.

Two additional lists of indictments are expected later this summer and are expected to include the organizers and planners of the attack, the U.N. source said. The United Nations and the Lebanese Republic negotiated an agreement on the establishment of the tribunal, based at The Hague.

Many Lebanese believe the killing revolved around the controversies over Syria's role in Lebanon, occupied at the time by Syrian troops, and the Damascus government's strong political influence in Lebanon.

People believe Hariri wanted the Syrians to withdraw from Lebanon and lessen Syria's influence, and many suspect that Syria and its ally Hezbollah went after Hariri because of his stance on this issue.

Those suspected connections of Hezbollah and the Syrian government to the killing have raised tensions in the country, stoking fears of sectarian conflict erupting in the ethnically and religiously diverse nation, which endured a civil war from 1975 to 1990.

Besides being prime minister of Lebanon for 10 years between 1992 and 2004, Rafik Hariri was the driving force behind Beirut's renaissance as a Mediterranean jewel, investing in the restoration of a city center that not so long before had been the frontline in Lebanon's civil war.

Rafik Hariri was 60 when he was killed, a self-made Sunni billionaire of humble origins. His son Saad, 40, leads a political bloc known as "March 14," which includes prominent Christian leaders. The group's adversaries include Hezbollah and other factions.

Syria had thousands of troops in Lebanon and great influence in the country until mass protests after Hariri's assassination forced their withdrawal. Syria has denied any involvement in the assassination.

But six years later, the shadow cast by that day still hangs over Lebanon, which finds itself in a political crisis -- in part caused by the bitter divide over the country's special tribunal that is tasked with investigating Hariri's assassination.

Hezbollah is a political faction in Lebanon and provides social services to Shiites, but it has long been regarded as a terrorist organization by the United States and as an ally of Iran. It has had longstanding animosity toward the tribunal, based on the expectation that some of its members would be indicted as conspirators in Hariri's assassination.

The Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has accused the group's arch-enemy Israel of the assassination. The movement, which fought a war on Lebanese soil against Israel five years ago, claims the tribunal is a plot involving the United States, Israel and France. Ibrahim Mousawi, a Hezbollah media relations officer, said it had no immediate reaction to the indictments.

Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed on February 14, 2005, when a bomb went off as his motorcade passed by. Saad Hariri, Rafik Hariri's son and a former Lebanese prime minister, said on Thursday the indictments were issued after years "of patience and waiting and a constant national struggle."

Saad Hariri called on all factions to accept Lebanon's "obligations" to the tribunal and said on Thursday "there is no excuse for anyone to escape from this responsibility."

"Today, we witness a distinctive historic moment in the life of Lebanon's political, judicial security, and ethical systems. And I feel in the beat of my heart, the embrace of all the hearts of the Lebanese who defended the cause of justice and refused to bargain on the blood of the martyrs," Saad Hariri said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Hezbollah brought down Saad Hariri's government. His replacement is Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a Sunni political independent who was backed by Hezbollah and its allies.

Nasrallah said in January that Hezbollah nominated Mikati to form "a national salvation government in which parties from across the political spectrum would take part." He disputed the view that Mikati is a Hezbollah figure. He said Mikati is a consensus candidate and "we will not lead the new government and it will not be the government of Hezbollah."

Speaking on TV on Friday, Mikati said the "delicate situation" Lebanon is experiencing "requires us to be wise" and avert civil strife. He stressed that the "indictments -- no matter what their source is -- are not sentences, and that charges need to have compelling evidence, away from any doubt, and that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty."

"This is not a verdict of guilt and any accused person is presumed innocent unless his or her guilt is established at trial," the Special Tribunal said in a statement.

"At this time, the STL has no comment on the identity or identities of the person or persons named in the indictment. Indeed, Judge (Daniel) 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 tribunal says arrest warrants have been submitted to the Lebanese authorities, and that they must inform the tribunal president "within 30 days after the confirmation of the indictment of the measures the state has taken to arrest the person(s) named in the indictment."

CNN's Jenifer Fenton contributed to this report

CNN

U.N.-backed court delivers Hariri killing indictments (Reuters)

BEIRUT (Reuters) – A U.N.-backed tribunal seeking the killers of statesman Rafik al-Hariri handed indictments and arrest warrants to Lebanon on Thursday that officials said accused members of the militant Hezbollah group of involvement.

The long-awaited move was hailed as a "historic moment" by Hariri's son, opposition leader Saad al-Hariri, but poses an immediate challenge to the new government of Najib Mikati whose cabinet is dominated by Hezbollah allies.

Prosecutor Saeed Mirza gave no details of the indictments. Lebanese officials said four warrants were issued for Hezbollah members including senior leader Mustafa Badreddine, who was jailed in Kuwait over a series of bombings in 1983 and is a brother-in-law of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyeh.

The assassination on February 14, 2005 plunged Lebanon into a series of political crises, killings and bombings which led to sectarian clashes in May 2008, dragging the country back to the brink of civil war.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on nations to support the tribunal, a hybrid international and Lebanese court established under Chapter Seven of the U.N. charter, granting the U.N. wide powers to address violations.

But a Hezbollah television station said the indictments showed that the tribunal was politicized.

Analysts said Mikati, whose government has yet to win a confidence vote in parliament, now faces irreconcilable demands from Hariri's domestic and international allies -- who want Lebanon to comply with the court -- and the majority of his cabinet who reject any cooperation with it.

Lebanese analyst Oussama Safa said that refusal to comply would lead to Lebanon's isolation. "Now the government of Mikati has to decide what it is going to do. If it does not cooperate it risks putting Lebanon in trouble," he said.

The other three suspects were named by Lebanese officials as Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Issa and Assad Sabra. It was not clear how many belonged to Hezbollah or what positions they held.

Hezbollah, both a Shi'ite Muslim political movement and guerrilla army, denies any role in the huge explosion on the Beirut seafront which killed Hariri and 22 others.

There have been fears in Lebanon that indictments of Hezbollah members over the assassination of the prominent Sunni Muslim leader, who was prime minister for several terms between 1992 and 2004, could raise sectarian tensions between factions still struggling with the legacy of its 1975-90 civil war.

Mikati urged Lebanese to be "reasonable and far-sighted" to ensure that "those who want to target the country and push us toward strife miss their chance."

Hezbollah has vowed to thwart attempts to detain any of its members and -- as the country's pre-eminent military force --could easily prevent security forces making any arrests even if the government approved them. It wants Lebanon to end cooperation with the tribunal, withdraw Lebanese judges and halt contributions to its funding.

A carefully-worded policy statement by Mikati's cabinet, which was formed just two weeks ago after months of wrangling, said on Thursday only that it "stressed the (importance of) truth in the crime against Rafik al-Hariri" and said it would monitor the progress of the court.

A senior official in Hariri's March 14 coalition, said the government must give unconditional commitment to the tribunal. "Mikati must realize that we will face any shortfall (in that commitment) with all our strength in a democratic and peaceful way," Fares Said said.

Hariri said the government had "no reason...to run away from this responsibility." In a statement issued in Paris, he said: "It is time to put an end to the episodes of killing. The era of the murderers is over and the time for justice is close."

EARLY MISHAPS

Early reports on the killing implicated Syria, which denied any involvement, before attention switched to Hezbollah.

However discredited the tribunal may be for some Lebanese, Thursday's indictments pose an early dilemma for Mikati.

If his government does not cooperate with the court "it will face a problem with the international community," said Judge Yusif Saadallah al-Khoury. "The U.N. Security Council will act under Chapter Seven and move toward taking exceptional measures of political, economic and military nature."

Lebanese authorities will have up to 30 days to inform the tribunal of the measures taken in response to the arrest warrants being issued. Arrest warrants also include an order for the "prompt transfer" of the accused to the tribunal.

If authorities fail to make arrests, the court may start putting out "Wanted" adverts. If no arrests are carried out, the tribunal can hold trials in absentia.

The indictments triggered a political crisis in Lebanon when they were submitted to the pre-trial judge in January, bringing down Hariri's national unity government when Hezbollah and its allies resigned in protest at his refusal to renounce the court.

The indictments were amended three times while the judge assessed whether there was enough evidence for a trial.

Condemnation of the 2005 killing forced neighboring Syria to end a 29-year military presence in Lebanon, but attention slowly turned to Hezbollah and last year its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said he expected members to be accused.

Hezbollah, formed under the guidance of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to fight Israeli forces that invaded Lebanon, shares the Iranian state's Shi'ite Islamist ideology.

It continues to enjoy strong moral, political and military support from Tehran and Damascus. The United States lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

(Additional reporting by Laila Bassam in Beirut and Aaron Gray-Block in Amsterdam; writing by Dominic Evans; editing by David Stamp)

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