press conference by UN Independent International Investigation Commission

Syrian authorities had consistently stonewalled the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and should provide far more cooperation than they had so far, Detlev Mehlis, head of the Investigation Commission, said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

Citing one example of how he believed the Syrian Government had hindered the investigation, Mr. Mehlis said the Commission had requested files on Mr. Hariri and former Cabinet Minister Marwan Hamadi, the target of an assassination attempt last year, but the Syrian authorities had insisted that they did not have a single document.  “What we expect from the Syrian authorities is not to just react but to act, to really look into the matter themselves.”  He added, “Frankly speaking, I do not think it is true, but what can the Commission do?  I cannot send 500 investigators, which I don’t have, to Syria to look for documents.”

Hours earlier, Syria’s Permanent Representative had harshly criticized the Commission’s report in a statement to the Security Council.  Mr. Mehlis said the criticism was expected, but he had gone out of his way to make the report as credible as possible by involving investigators from more than half a dozen countries.  The report was not intended to implicate Syria as a State, but only to focus on individuals.

As for how the investigation would move forward, and who else would be interviewed, he said that had not yet been decided.  “Under the present conditions, it really doesn’t make any sense to just interview Syrian officials to get the same standard answers.”

While he expected more potential suspects to emerge, Mr. Mehlis refused to name any because the investigation was continuing.  It would take months, maybe even years, to wrap up the investigation, but the assassination could definitely be solved.  In the end, all the evidence would be turned over to the United Nations and Lebanon.

He said the Lebanese authorities would be in a good position to pursue the matter, noting that the country’s internal security system had performed surprisingly well in recent months.  That was the result of support from the United Nations and the international community, which would hopefully continue.

Mr. Mehlis also elaborated further on threats that he and his colleagues had faced in performing their work, saying that fliers threatening him and the Commission had been distributed in southern Lebanon.  There had also been individual threats from unknown groups, but they definitely did not come from any official sources in Syria, Lebanon or elsewhere.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record