Saudi Arabia Pressures Syria Over Hariri Tribunal
| Saudi Arabia is trying to persuade Syria to support the creation of an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, the Lebanese Central News Agency has reported. The report by Al Markaziya, or CNA, on Friday said that a meeting was expected to be held in Spain within the next few days between Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal and his Syrian counterpart, Walid Moallem, already in Madrid on an official visit. The meeting would be the first between senior leaders from both countries since the Saudi-Syrian rift widened after this summer’s Israel-Hizbullah war when Syrian President Bashar Assad labeled several Arab leaders “half men.” CNA, citing diplomatic sources, said the meeting will deal with the Arab summit, which is due in Riyadh in March, and influencing Damascus to adopt the international tribunal. The sources said Faisal was discussing with Spanish leaders the ongoing Lebanese crisis and the need to endorse the tribunal. CNA quoted the sources as saying that once the tribunal is approved by Syria, rival Lebanese groups would then move to discuss the creation of the Special International Tribunal for Lebanon to prosecute Hariri’s suspected assassins. Hariri was killed with 22 other people in a massive suicide truck bombing Feb. 14, 2005 and many Lebanese blamed Syria for the killing, an allegation denied by Damascus. |
| Beirut, 24 Feb 07 |
