Syrian masked witness to UN investigation retracts his testimony
Syria-Lebanon-UN, Politics, 11/29/2005

A Syrian witness, known as the "masked witness", that gave testimony to the UN investigation team into the killing of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq al-Hariri has retracted on Sunday his testimony as baseless and untrue.

"All what I had said to the UN investigation committee is "untrue and baseless," the masked witness Husam Taher Husam said in an interview broadcast by the Syrian TV, stressing that all testimonies he offered were imposed on him "by force and threats, pressures and torture." UN investigator Chief Detlev Mehlis has considered Husam as "the main witness" in his report to prove Syrian and Lebanese intelligence involvement in the assassination of Hariri.

Husam claimed that Walid Jumblat and Marwan Hmadeh had a role in fabricating lies of the witness Zoheir al-Sedeq by handing him a large sum of money and assuring him the needed protection at one of the Arab embassies.

"Syria and the four Lebanese arrested officers are innocent from the assassination crime," Husam stressed, unveiling that Saad al-Hariri, and his two advisors Fares Khashan and Ghattas Khouri, in addition to Lebanese politicians and press men instructed and obliged him to give a "perjury" on an alleged role for Syria in the assassination.

Regarding the booby-trapped Mitsubishi car, he said "They instructed me to say that it was trapped in Syria, and then brought it to the 10th division in Qatana .., after that, the explosives were transported by ambulance to Lebanon where the car disappeared in the Bekaa for 15 days," Husam said. He added "I was demanded to claim that I saw the car in Hammana (town) in Feb 11,12,13,14 where it moved to Beirut heading to the crime place."

On explosives used in the crime and their kind, Husam emphasized "Head of information branch in Lebanon major Samir, with the attendance of Fares Khashan, brought me the explosives, claiming they came from Syria, but in fact they came from the Lebanese government."

"They asked me to testify that President Bashar al-Assad had threatened Hariri but I refused," the witness stressed.

"In Monte Verde Hotel, I have met with Mai Shedyaq and the French ambassador in Lebanon twice, Jubran Tueni, Marwan Hmadeh, Walid Jumblat," Hassam said, describing Tueni, Hamadeh and Jumblat as of "dead conscience...Those are responsible for bringing false witnesses. Tueni's main goal is to involve Hizbollah by any way." "The investigation process is a dirty play aiming at involving Syria, Iran and Hizbullah and the implementation of the UN 1559 resolution... they want to topple the ruling regime in our country... they want Syria to kneel to the USA" Husam said, stressing that "Hariri inheritors are those who killed him... they are well trained and want to involve a number of Syrian and Lebanese officials in any way." The witness said he refused to take money from Hariri men and to talk to the US intelligent service CIA and FBI.

He asserted that the Syrians "colonel Maher al-Assad and Gen. Asef Shawkat are targeted by those malignant claiming that they are behind the crime."

" If I dropped my testimony, Mehlis report will shrink to five pages only... I am ready to testify in hundred international courts." The masked witness concluded.

Meantime, the car of the 'masked witness' Husam Taher Husam was found Monday parking near the Lebanese Customs Department at al-Massnaa border point.

The Lebanese National News Agency said the car is Toyota, green color with a plate No. 65533 M Model 2006. It added the car is rented from 'Jalal Company for Car Rentals' from 05-30 November 2005, and one of the items of the contract states that Husam doesn't have a driving license.

The source said a unit of the Lebanese judicial and criminal police collected the fingerprints off the car which has been taken away to the headquarters of the internal security forces in Bekaa, Lebanon.

Previous Stories:
  Masked witness harms credibility of UN Hariri assassination report, Syrian official   (11/29/2005)
  Lebanese minister praise Syria's agreement with the UN investigation   (11/28/2005)
  Syria fully cooperates with investigation: party official   (11/28/2005)
  Nasralah stresses friendship with Syria and challenges   (11/28/2005)
  The Syrian Stance is not a Back off: Muaallim   (11/26/2005)
  On the Syrian acceptance of Vienna as venue for Hariri investigation interrogation   (11/26/2005)
  Damascus gets guarantees for its security officials in Hariri investigation   (11/26/2005)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search