Daniel Bellemare, chief prosecutor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) spent the first week of December in Beirut for his first visit since the formation of the new Lebanese government.  

The STL press office stated that Bellemare’s visit was an opportunity to thank the Lebanese authorities for their support and ensure the continuation of this cooperation. It is also a chance to work with the Deputy Prosecutor and his staff based in the Beirut office.

Speaking about the people of Lebanon Bellemare said that “although we are operating from [The Hague], we have not forgotten about them and we are still pursuing the truth on their behalf.”

“Courtesy call”
His efforts seem to have been successful. In a statement President Sleiman reiterated his country’s ongoing support for the tribunal. While Bellemare’s spokeswoman Radhia Achouri told Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper “we have never got any sign of any difficulty or problem with the Lebanese government contributing its share”.

Commenting on the visit, Michael Bluhm of the Daily Star told Radio Netherlands that it was not a sign of any “major breaks or hot leads”, and was simply “just a courtesy call.” Asked about the public response to Bellemare’s visit he said, “the public noted it but there was no major reaction.”

The STL was set up to prosecute those responsible for the 14 February 2005 attack which killed former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others in Beirut.