Syria starts its own investigation committee into Hariri assassination

Coupled with the diplomatic moves, the Syrian president basher al-Assad on Saturday decided, according to a presidential decree to form a "special judicial committee" that directly "assumes the measures to the investigation in collaboration with the UN investigation committee and with the Lebanese judicial authorities."

Mehlis report indicated the possibility of the involvement of high ranking Syrian officials in planning to the assassination of Hariri in collaboration with former officials in the Lebanese security departments.

The Syrian minister of justice Muhammad al-Ghafri stressed that the formation of a special investigation committee to the assassination of Hariri stresses Syria's care to collaborate with the UN investigation committee to reach the facts.

Al-Ghafri said that his country is innocent from this crime and is ready to try any Syrian proved to have links to the crime, stressing that this committee will collaborate with the UN investigation committee and with the Lebanese judicial authorities.

The Syrian official explained that this committee will assume "the mission of starting the investigation with all Syrian military or civilian persons in all what might be linked to the mission of the UN investigation committee."