Court Action Begins in The Hague: International Media Forum Accompanied by STL 'Explosive Experiment'
Naharnet Special Report:
Special Tribunal for Lebanon action has begun. Key developments in the past few hours suggested that field and technical preparations are underway for the launch of Court work which is expected after issuance of the indictment in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.
An Air France jet carrying 16 editors-in-chief, news directors and editors of the local and judicial sections of Lebanon's leading media outlets left Beirut airport around 4:00 pm Tuesday to take part in an International Media Forum on the STL to be held in The Hague Oct. 20-22.
As the plane embarked on its destination, the Office of the STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said it conducted a "controlled explosive experiment" at the Captieux military base in France as part of its probe into the Hariri murder.
The journalists were in The Hague at the invitation of the STL and the Association of Foreign Journalists in the Netherlands.
The first day of the Forum will be held on Wednesday at the STL's International Media Center amid tight security measures – No cell phones, cameras, audio recorders are allowed in.
Forum organizers, however, permitted journalists to bring their personal computers, providing internet access that allows them to communicate with the media they represent.
The second day of the Forum includes visits to both the International Tribunal for War Crimes in former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court.
On Day 3, the International Media Forum will be held at the Media Center that belongs to the Foreign Journalists Association in the Netherlands.
The Forum brings together journalists from Lebanon and the world. Media outlets from Lebanon include An-Nahar, As-Safir, al-Hayat, al-Mustaqbal, The Daily Star, L'Orient le Jour, stat-run National News Agency, Tele Liban, al-Jadid, OTV, Future TV, Voice of Lebanon, in addition to Naharnet and Now Lebanon.
The absence of Hizbulah and AMAL media outlets was obvious even though they were invited. They did not respond to the invitation in line with Hizbullah's and AMAL's rejection of the Tribunal.
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