Hariri: UN wants Syrians probed
2005-11-07 20:14
Damascus - Syria has received a formal request from the United Nations commission investigating the murder of ex-Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, to interrogate Syrian suspects, said a foreign ministry official on Monday.
The official said: "Syria has received a request from the international commission of inquiry and is in the process of studying it."
The official didn't reveal the names of the suspects that the commission led by German investigator Detlev Mehlis would like to interrogate nor where they would ultimately be quizzed.
According to reports, the commission wanted to interrogate six Syrian security officials, including Assef Shawkat, the brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad and head of military intelligence.
The An-Nahar daily said the others included Bahjat Soulieman, former head of domestic intelligence, the former head of military intelligence in Lebanon Rustom Ghazaleh and his deputy Jameh Jameh.
The names of these four officers were cited in witness testimony in a confidential version of an initial report by Mêlées, which accused Syria of failing to co-operate with the inquiry.