Will Bashar Assad Let Officials Be Questioned In Lebanon?
November 8, 2005
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
The list of Syrian officials sought for questioning in the Hariri murder has been released and given to Syria. It is coming down to crunch time it the upper crust of the relative packed Syrian chain of command. The following article from the Gulf-News-On-Line is the latest info on the politically explosive situation.
BEGIN GULF NEWS ON LINE ARTICLE
Syrian Officials Face More Questioning!
November 8, 2005
UN investigators have summoned Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s brother-in-law to face more questioning over the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister, a
Lebanese political source said yesterday.
The source said Major General Assef Shawkat, head of Syria’s military intelligence, was on a list of six names sent to Damascus by chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis, who wants to question the men at his headquarters east
of Beirut.
Shawkat, who is married to Bashar’s sister Bushra, was among 10 Syrian officials interviewed in Damascus by the UN team in September. His name appeared in Mehlis’s report to the Security Council last month.
Foreign Minister Farouq Al Shar’a said Syria would cooperate with the UN inquiry, but did not refer to Mehlis’s request. A Syrian official, who confirmed that the request had been received, said Damascus was considering it.
Apart from Shawkat, Mehlis wants to interview Major General Bahjat Sulaiman, former head of the internal security branch at the general intelligence department; Lieutenant General Rustom Ghazali, former Syrian intelligence chief in Lebanon; Lieutenant General Thafer Yousuf; Lieutenant General Abdul-Karim Abbas; and another officer, Jamea Jamea.
Meanwhile, The European Union has snubbed Bashar by not inviting him to a summit with Mediterranean partners this month.
Instead, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said yesterday the EU had invited Syrian Foreign Minister Al Shar’a, and called on Syria to cooperate fully with the UN investigation.
END GULF NEWS ON LINE ARTICLE