Reporters' Distribution in The Hague Hotels Reflection of Political Affiliation, and Hariri's Guests Are the Most Fortunate
The Hague - Naharnet feature
The positioning of journalists who flew to The Netherlands to cover the first session of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon reflects the division and the rift in the Lebanese society towards the trial of the alleged assassins of former premier Rafik Hariri as representatives of local media outlets checked into different hotels in The Hague and the municipality of Leidschendam, each according to their political views and their opinions on the works of the STL.
Journalists whose television channels are affiliated with the March 8 camp, particularly OTV and al-Jadeed TV's reporters, will spend the coming days in Mercure Hotel in Leidschendam, near the headquarters of the STL.
Meanwhile, former PM Saad Hariri's team has selected several journalists and media outlets' representatives to provide them with a “conformable” trip to the Netherlands, as they were flown on board the private plane of al-Mustaqbal Party's leader.
The private jet's direct flight arrived in The Hague at 5:00 pm while other journalists had to make stops in different European capitals, such as Rome, Paris, or Brussels, before reaching Amsterdam by plane and then head to The Hague by land.
In addition to reporters, several family members of politicians and officials that were targeted in assassinations during the past 10 years were also on board Hariri's plane.
The former PM's guests will stay at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel and Hilton Hotel in the Dutch city as tens of rooms were booked to welcome them and transportation was provided to transfer them to the headquarters of the STL in Leidschendam.
A number of “independent” journalists, meanwhile, checked into less luxurious and more humble hotels in The Hague to take part in covering STL's opening sessions. These reporters will use public transportation, such as taxis, buses or trains to go to the court's headquarters on Thursday.
Hariri arrived on Wednesday evening in The Netherlands on board a private jet.
He was accompanied by a number of his family members, his political and media team as well as several politicians that will attend the opening session of the trial of the suspects in the assassination of his father, late PM Rafik Hariri.
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