UN expected to extend Hariri assassination investigation; Mehlis stay uncertain
The Lebanese government has called on the UN Security Council to extend the mission of the UN investigation into the murder of the late Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri for additional 6 months, but so far the nature of the council response is not known, according to the Lebanese minister of information Ghazi al-Aridi.
Hours after the government request, Al-Aridi added that the chairman of the UN investigation committee Deltev Mehlis notified the Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora that he will prepare his report on the progress attained in the investigation within days in order to be handed over to the UN Security Council.
The Lebanese defence minister Elias al-Murr announced after the end of the weekly meeting of the Lebanese government on Thursday that Siniora asked the UN secretary general to extend the mission of Mehlis committee which started in June this year.
The UN secretary general assistant for political affairs Ibrahim Gambari expected that the UN Security Council will extend the period of investigation committee, looming that Mehlis may not continue to be the head of the committee after submitting his report on December 15.
Gambari responded to a question about a possible extension of the Mehlis investigation, saying he had not received any formal word that it would happen. However, since the job was far from done -- interviews of Syrian officials were only due to begin in Vienna next week -- he said he presumed the Lebanese Government or the Mehlis Commission itself would seek an extension to complete the investigation, adding that those entities had been given a “carte blanche” by the Security Council to do so, should they wish.
Asked whether Mehlis had made any indication that he would continue the investigation beyond the original timeframe, Gambari said he did not think Mehlis viewed himself as continuing ad infinitum, as he was sure to have other commitments.
In the same context, German press sources said quoting UN sources that Mehlis, who is German, had actually submitted his resignation to Annan after German pressure made on him because of supposed contradiction with presiding over the committee with the country's national interests.
Asked about reports from Beirut that Detlev Mehlis had officially resigned from his position as Chairman of the International Independent Investigation Commission dealing with the 14 February bombing in Lebanon, UN Secretary General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there had been no official announcement of his resignation. As for Mehlis's stated intention to depart from the Commission, the spokesman said "that was not news; Mehlis had indicated from the beginning that he was available for six months. Obviously, should the life of the Commission be extended, Dujarric added, the United Nations would be very interested in having Mehlis remain associated with its work somehow. He added that the Secretary-General and Mehlis are in contact on the matter.