MIDDLE EAST:A UN inquiry into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri has identified new suspects and found that the perpetrators are highly organised, professional and still able to strike in Beirut.
In his latest report on the investigation into the 2005 killing and 18 potentially related political murders, Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz said his team had drawn preliminary conclusions about a network that had targeted Mr Hariri and others who opposed Syria's influence in Lebanon.
Mr Brammertz was careful to avoid explicit accusations or name suspects, although the report seems to suggest that Syrian and Lebanese security agents - whether rogue or official - worked together to target those who were killed. It also includes the possibility that extremist groups were involved. The report said the investigators were taking precautions to protect witnesses and stem leaks about their conclusions because of Lebanon's volatile political environment.
Tensions are rising over the failure to elect a successor to pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud, whose term expired last week, and Mr Brammertz warned that "the prospect of a rapid deterioration cannot be excluded".