BEIRUT: The court probing the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri declined to be drawn Monday on rumors that a finalized indictment naming suspects was imminent, as Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed that all forces and Lebanese political groups sought to achieve justice and avoid and security risks.

Sources have suggested that Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will finalize an amended indictment by Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare in the coming days. An STL spokesperson said the timeframe the court issued in May, when Bellemare issued a second amendment to the indictment, was still valid.
“We said on May 6 that we anticipate the Pre-Trial Judge will complete the review process in the coming months. That timeline still stands,” court spokesperson Marten Youssef told The Daily Star. “The timing is entirely dependent on legal considerations and the review will conclude when the pre-trial judge completes his work.”

Bellemare issued an initial indictment in January, only to amend it in March and a second time in May.
The United Nations-backed court is one of the new Cabinet’s thorniest foreign policy issues.
Lebanon agreed in 2007 to cooperate with the court although such a pledge could be challenged by the March 8-dominated government if, as anticipated, Hezbollah members are named in the indictment.
Minister of State Salim Karam indicated to The Daily Star Monday that Lebanon’s cooperation with the STL will not feature in the new Cabinet’s policy statement.

“We have been given a very bad impression of the STL and there are many things that give us the impression that they are not trustworthy,” Karam said.
The minister added that the new Cabinet would not vow to continue cooperation with the court and would instead judge the situation after an indictment emerged.

“I think that we took a decision about the tribunal to deal with [the indictment] when it comes. [Bellemare] is not certain of what he is doing, therefore we should wait until the time to take a decision to deal with him,” Karam said.
“There is no problem as long as everything is legal and nothing is handled in political ways. Things should be judged fairly. “Finishing this story would be the best. At the moment, the tribunal is the only voice on this issue and the world believes their word, no one else’s. Anyone who can see that when there is something wrong, we need to be careful,” he added.

Mikati demurred over Lebanon’s commitment to the court. “There are two parts of the STL, an internal one and an external one. In the internal matter, I am certain that all forces and Lebanese political groups want to achieve justice and avoid security risks,” Mikati said in a statement.

When Fransen accepts Bellemare’s amended indictment, the pre-trial judge will submit it to nations in which suspects are believed to reside. Fransen himself decides on whether or not the contents or suspects of the indictment are publicly announced. The court has no specific timeframe for this and both Bellemare and the STL’s defense office have the option to appeal.
The country or countries that receive the indictment are expected by the court to seek out named individuals. The tribunal’s statute says that STL President Antonio Cassese needs to be satisfied that states are making sufficient efforts to apprehend the accused.

If no suspects are located, Cassese will issue a public advertisement, providing the accused a 30-day grace period to hand themselves in to local authorities. If this fails to materialize, the court has the right to commence in absentia proceedings.
“As for Lebanon’s cooperation, according to the agreements between Lebanon and the STL as well as U.N. Security Council resolutions, Lebanon is obliged to cooperate with the work of the STL,” Youssef said.