Preparations suggest Hariri court will begin work on January 1

'I don't think Bellemare will announce he is ready tomorrow' By Michael Bluhm Daily Star staff Tuesday, August 19, 2008 BEIRUT: Preparations at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are proceeding as if the prosecutor will take office and the tribunal will begin functioning on January 1 next year, even though the UN official managing the tribunal said he did not have any information about when UN chief Ban Ki-moon would officially inaugurate the court. The mandate of the UN commission investigating the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri and other political violence here expires on December 31, and the politically explosive issue of the tribunal has lately revolved around when chief investigator Daniel Bellemare will take office as the tribunal's first prosecutor and submit indictments to pre-trial judges. "I'm having to... [read full story]