Mehlis - more questions than answers

Walid Akawi , senior VP of ITP Publishing in Arabian Business On Sunday, 30 October, 2005 writes of “ Mehlis’ “honest” report” which he claims raises more questions than provides answers.

The premier claim that the crime could not take place without the knowledge of the Lebanese and Syrian intelligence systems , completely ignores the intelligence operations in Israel and the US —“ the biggest beneficiaries of such a crime “ he says.

The weaknesses are moré evident than the strengths, testimony is based on people “ renowned for their hostility towards Syria” Why lump together Ahbash, Abu Adass, and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command? They spend more time fighting each other than Syria – somehow they have been transformed into an anti-Hariri clique.

He ridicules the idea the planners were a “very organised group”, if everything was done using mobile phones. Implying of course that surveillance is ever present by many authorities in the area.

No serious explanation is provided of the right hand (?) van, where registered , owned by who ? What does the DNA tell us? He also raises the claims that defence radar detected a foreign spy plane flying over Beirut at the exact time of the murder?

He also raises the odd role of the mysterious Zuhair Siddeeq, from witness to suspect in one bound. No formal Syrian witnesses, nor evidence is offered and intriguingly , “what happened exactly when Mehlis was in Damascus?

Too many unanswered questions in the pro-American-Israeli atmosphere that is completely hostile to Syria, "we expect and deserve better" he says. Tel Aviv gladly received the report. A spokesman at the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs called it a “very positive step”. Shimon Peres, Israel's deputy PM, requested an immediate change in the Syrian leadership.

The report is several thousand words long. It fails to answer the biggest question of all — who really killed Rafik Hariri?

The Beirut Daily Star says today (Monday) that one of the 4 former security Chiefs, Jamil Sayed, Ali Hajj, Mustapha Hamdan and Raymond Azar arrested on 4th Septmeber , is singing like a canary for Mehlis' Lebanese staff ... perhaps they should make use of the CIA executive airline and pop them off to Mr Karimov's kitchens for a bit of light poaching ..... or is their incarceration just be to keep them from publicly discussing what they do know?

Arabic News has a useful digest of press and political comment on the Mehlis report both within the region and student groups in Europe.

Meanwhile the US, France and the United Kingdom have submitted to the U.N. Security Council a joint draft resolution requiring Syria to, "cooperate with the international commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri."

John Bolton told journalists, "It is a strong resolution. We feel it's important to send a strong and clear signal to the government of Syria that its obstruction of the Mehlis commission to date is unacceptable." ... he is reported as saying President Assad should be interrogated, but refrains from detailing the equipment to be used inthe process. Albert Gonzalez the Torturers friend will no doubt be kept informed.

Recent blogs on same topic here

PS. It's official. The fragrant Lady Symons, the Cheney family's very close friend, is now in charge of Outsourcing Torture. An Inter - departmental Committee is deciding if her role comes under FCO for international relations, DTI for trade development or Home Office for Police and Prison Staff training.