Posted on 11/24/2005 5:11:17 AM PST by Heatseeker
Chief U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis has set Nov. 25 as the final deadline for the Assad regime to bow to his demand to interrogate 6 senior Syrian intelligence officers over their role in Lebanon's five-time Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination, the London-based Al Hayat newspaper reported on Thursday.
Al Hayat quoted diplomatic sources in London as saying the Berlin prosecutor was awaiting at his Monteverde headquarters near Beirut Syria's official response by Friday to his demand that the 6, including President Assad's brother-in-law Gen. Assef Shawkat, be interrogated in either Vienna or Geneva.
Although Syria is still insisting on signing a protocol of cooperation to regulate the interrogation and the potential detention of all or any of the 6 officers before giving its response to the Mehlis demand, the U.S., Britain and France have rejected the Syrian position, saying Security Council Resolution 1636 is the only protocol that would govern this affair.
Several Arab governments and heads of state are trying to extend the Mehlis deadline by a few days to give them a chance to pressure Assad into ending what several veto power Security Council member states are labeling as Syrian procrastination to "obstruct" the international probe into Hariri's assassination.
In the meantime, the U.N. said it was willing to offer any of its centers around the world to Mehlis for the interrogation.
"We will make available whatever U.N. facilities we need to make available to Mr. Mehlis so he can conduct his work, but the important thing is for him to reach an agreement with the Syrian authorities," said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, responding to a question by a reporter if U.N. offices in Europe could be used by the chief investigator.
The venue for questioning Syrian suspects was "a logistical detail," Dujarric said.
The spokesman also said that the decision on the venue was up to Mehlis and not for Annan to broker.
"Mr. Mehlis is the chief investigator and he'll be the one who'll decide how these interviews are conducted and where," Dujarric said.
"The secretary general is not negotiating on behalf of Mr. Mehlis."
Send over Hans Blix with a harshly worded letter!
Just what do you suppose Mehlis will do if his demands arent met? Cry?
Probably return to Geneva or New York for "consultations" for a year or so. OTOH Hariri was a friend of Chirac so maybe the Europeans will hold Bashir's feet to the fire. (Note I'm not holding my breath.)
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