Hariri's Game part 10 The Judicial Process

international | crime and justice | other press

Wednesday May 30, 2007 23:33

by knowing i did my best to tell you about the blue white flash

non tali auxilio nec defensoribus istis tempus eget...

Lebanon might have caught readers attention again in the last ten days. An awful lot has happened since the Valentine Weekend 2005 murder of "Mr Lebanon" Rafik Hariri, an event of such importance that it prompted a series of 9 new stories with constant ongoing analysis of one of the pivotal states as preparation for any geopolitical strategic understanding.

Lebanon returned to our telly screens as a long standing refugee enclave of Palestinians was targetted by the Lebanese army amidst calls to "take out the terrorists" who apparantly use Lebanon to attack Western interests. Tonight the UN security council has voted to bring the murder (or magnicide if you will) of Hariri to the International tribunal in The Hague.

There are some who wonder would it not be better to offer the residents of the refugee enclaves statehood, water, jobs, education, pensions and so on - little things which for the moment only terrorist related islamist political groups seem to worry about in their cyncial exploitation of a generational problem.

The results of the Israeli "shin beth" led inquiry into the Israeli state war on Lebanon which had resulted from the time of article 9 of this series
did not merit of itself a seperate article or thread. The Israelis for what it's worth (not much) laid the blame for the war *which brought death to thousands, *refugee status to over a million, * uncompensated damage to Lebanese infrastructure at twice Hariri's estimated personal wealth at time of death (approx 9 billion euros) *near extinction to the green turtle, *an oil slick of over 400km and destruction of fishing *illegal use of weapons *final UN peacekeeper deployment on the border quite clearly at the door of their own prime minister.

But that didn't merit an article. The news that France under its new president Sarkozy has voted with the UK and USA and a narrow majority of the UN security council but with the abstention of Russia and China for a Hague tribunal on the case does. This represents Sarkozy's first foray into the affairs of a former French imperial possession and the Levant (Middle East) at a time of particular sensitivity. I'm just too tempted to remind readers of Sarkozy's tenous links to the "other Lebanese billionaire" Mouna Ayoub.
http://indymedia.ie/article/82415?&condense_comments=fa...93346

Let's get something straight before you read all these other press links - if you want to start out analysing the middle east and bleating for justice - you're not starting with any Valentine's Day murder which spawned a ten part series on indymedia ireland. You start with food, water,land, jobs, education,opportunity and plurality.

I really hope we are not about to see a new phase of perversion of international judicial standards and the Hague tribunal to the service of murky capitalist politics. This is no way a positive step to ending injustice in the Middle East, the Israeli state / Arab conflict or emergent "Al Q" network terrorism.

here's the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6703587.stm
here's a report in The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6671770....html
here's a report in the French Le Monde
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/depeches/0,14-0,39-31090731@7-37,0.html

here is the background :-

Hariri's Game (part 8) "it was Syria who killed him to get their troops out and sanctions!"
http://indymedia.ie/article/72571

Hariri's Game (part 7) Hezbolah are in government
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70985

Hariri's game (part 6) a weakened france (&EU)withdraws and the USA increases pressure on the Levant
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70034

Hariri's Game (part 5) all sides move to peace.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69572

Hariri's Game (part 4) all sides look for their allies.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68964

Hariri's Game (part 3) Hezbollah mobilise dwarfing previous pacifist gig.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68901

Hariri's Game (part 2) The Lebanese Government Quit.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68813

Hariri's Game (part 1) Mr Lebanon is dead.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68645