Syria denies UN probe claim to question Assad
Syria, 2 Jan. (AKI) - Syria has not received any request from a UN commision probing the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hairi to question Syrian president Basher al-Assad, a top Damascus official said on Monday. Numayr Ghanem, president of the Syrian Parliament's foreign affairs commssion was reacting to a report that the UN panel wanted to talk to al-Assad, Syrian foreign minister Faruq ash-Sharaa, and former vice president Abd al-Halim Khaddam. The commission announced its intention on Monday through a spokesman who cited remarks made by Khaddam who said al-Assad had threatened Hariri before his February 14, 2005 killing.
"For how long will we have to receive the requests of the [UN] commission through the media instead of the official channels?" Ghanem asked angrily, adding that Syria would continue to cooperate with the commission as long as its investigations weren't used as a pretext to violate Syria's sovereignity. He said that the commssion's request, once received officially, would be "studied" before a decision on whether to comply with it was made.
The UN commission which has implicated several top Syrian officials in Hariri's assassination has repeatedly complained that Damascus has not cooperated fully with the investigation.
Later on Monday a source from Syria's ruling Baath party said that al-Assad, angered by the remarks made by Khaddam to the Saudi owned Dubai television station al-Arabiya, has already ruled out talking to the commission. Khaddam, for decades' Damascus' top official in Lebanon was sidelined last June after saying that he believed the Syrian leadership was behind Hariri's murder.
"Al-Assad controls all the security services, so there is no way he couldn't have known of the plan to kill the former premier (Hariri)," Khaddam said.
The Syrian leader had threatened Hariri "many times even when he was till prime minister," Khaddam said.
Syrian pro-government daily, ath-Thawra has branded Khaddam who is living in self-imposed exile in Paris a "traitor" and warned he would face charges of "corruption against the State," if he were to return home.
The UN commission is due to resume its work on 10 January under its new chief Belgian magistrate Serge Brammertz.
"For how long will we have to receive the requests of the [UN] commission through the media instead of the official channels?" Ghanem asked angrily, adding that Syria would continue to cooperate with the commission as long as its investigations weren't used as a pretext to violate Syria's sovereignity. He said that the commssion's request, once received officially, would be "studied" before a decision on whether to comply with it was made.
The UN commission which has implicated several top Syrian officials in Hariri's assassination has repeatedly complained that Damascus has not cooperated fully with the investigation.
Later on Monday a source from Syria's ruling Baath party said that al-Assad, angered by the remarks made by Khaddam to the Saudi owned Dubai television station al-Arabiya, has already ruled out talking to the commission. Khaddam, for decades' Damascus' top official in Lebanon was sidelined last June after saying that he believed the Syrian leadership was behind Hariri's murder.
"Al-Assad controls all the security services, so there is no way he couldn't have known of the plan to kill the former premier (Hariri)," Khaddam said.
The Syrian leader had threatened Hariri "many times even when he was till prime minister," Khaddam said.
Syrian pro-government daily, ath-Thawra has branded Khaddam who is living in self-imposed exile in Paris a "traitor" and warned he would face charges of "corruption against the State," if he were to return home.
The UN commission is due to resume its work on 10 January under its new chief Belgian magistrate Serge Brammertz.
posted by Marko at 1/02/2006 02:48:00 PM
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