Roux Says STL Mandate Renewal is Certain

The head of the international tribunal's defense office, Francois Roux, has said the renewal of the court's mandate was necessary to continue the trial in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's Feb. 2005 assassination case.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is currently hearing witness testimonies. This stage won't end by March 2015 and would be followed by the defense teams' presentation of evidence, Roux told As Safir newspaper in an interview published on Monday.

“It means that the trial won't end next year and it would be necessary to renew (STL's) mandate,” he said.

In 2012, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon renewed the STL's mandate for three years.

Under Security Council Resolution 1757, which established the court, the secretary-general was given the authority to extend the U.N.-backed tribunal's mandate after consulting with the Security Council and the Lebanese government.

Five Hizbullah members are being tried in absentia for the Feb. 2005 bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others.

Asked whether he would propose amendments to STL's rules of procedure and evidence, Roux told As Safir that “no such decision has been made yet.”

He also denied being aware of a sixth suspect in Hariri's assassination case.

“I will not ask you about your sources of information,” Roux told his interviewer, “but I personally don't know anything about it,” he said.

G.K.

H.K.