Skepticism Builds On Hariri Report

Today's UN press briefing signalled growing skepticism about the prospects for a solid report on the Rafik Hariri investigation. Two examples:

Question: The Secretary-General said this morning that Mehlis’ report would be a technical report. Do you think he used the right word because I think we passed technical a long time ago with the Fitzgerald report? So, I don’t know, people are expecting more than that.

Spokesman: I’m sure the Secretary-General used the right word. He was answering a question about the politicization of the report. What he was saying was that he did not want this report to be politicized but he wanted it to be a technical, investigative report.

Question: Also, yesterday, the arrest of Mr. Assediq in Paris, it’s known that most of Mehlis’ report is based on the story of this guy. Isn’t it embarrassing for the investigation that this guy was arrested? Does it question the credibility of that investigation so far or the course of the investigation?

Spokesman: I think we should all wait to see the report before judging Mr. Mehlis’ work.

The news on Assediq must indeed be embarassing for Kofi & Co. Via Nexis, Deutch Presse-Agentur reports:

French police have arrested a former member of Syria's secret services in connection with the international probe into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, police sources said Monday.

Acting on an international arrest warrant, police detained Zouheir Mohammad Assediq on Sunday because Lebanese magistrates as well as the U.N. commission of inquiry headed by German judge Detlev Mehlis want to talk to the one-time Syrian security officer.

Details about Assediq's possible involvement in the February 14 bombing death of Hariri were not provided. An eagerly awaited report by Mehlis on his investigation into the assassination is scheduled to be released on October 21.

If indeed Assediq was a key Mehlis source, why was he trying to get out of Dodge in the days preceding publication? That's easy: His days would be numbered in Syria.

But why was he arrested, instead of ditching via a negotiated agreement with the UN? That, my friends, is the sign of a guy who was double-dealing and got caught in the act. And that would make a reasonable person suspect those portions of the report that are based on his evidence.