August 15, 2010 - Naharnet - Issawi: No Timeframe to Issue Tribunal Indictments

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Spokesperson Fatima al-Issawi has stressed that there is no timeframe for Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare to issue his indictments in the case of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination.

The court's decisions are only linked to its rules of procedures and evidence and have nothing to do with any external factor, al-Issawi told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published Sunday.

She said it would not be in the benefit of the STL to be part of the political bickering in Lebanon over the suspected assassins. Al-Issawi reiterated that the tribunal does not comment on reports about the investigation into Hariri's murder.

Asked if the court's silence about rumors on the indictment meant they were true, Issawi said: "We stress that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon takes allegations about information leakage seriously if they are based on evidence and facts."

She added that only Bellemare's office had accurate information about the investigation into Hariri's killing.