Journalist denies fingering Mossad in Hariri killing
Monday, May 01, 2006
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: Lebanese journalist Mustafa Nasser has denied claims that he met with the German criminologist and journalist who published a book in which he accused Israeli intelligence of having assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In an interview with Agence France Presse published on Saturday, Nasser said: "I have never met with any German journalist and I have never accused any party of the assassination. I believe that throwing random accusations is interfering with the investigations." In "Hariri's Assassination," German criminologist Jürgen Cain Külbel said that "Israeli Mossad killed Hariri to instigate political tension in Lebanon." Külbel also accused the former chief of the United Nations committee charged with investigating Hariri's death, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, of having misled the investigation. In a recent telephone interview with The Daily Star, Mehlis said he had not read the book because it would be a "waste ... to spend any money on it" - but added that "based on what I have heard so far about it, I would say that they are all just pretty dumb accusations." The Cabinet is scheduled to hold an extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss a request from the Justice Ministry to ask the UN to extend the investigating committee's mandate, as well as other issues. - The Daily Star
http://tinyurl.com/nfg9b
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: Lebanese journalist Mustafa Nasser has denied claims that he met with the German criminologist and journalist who published a book in which he accused Israeli intelligence of having assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In an interview with Agence France Presse published on Saturday, Nasser said: "I have never met with any German journalist and I have never accused any party of the assassination. I believe that throwing random accusations is interfering with the investigations." In "Hariri's Assassination," German criminologist Jürgen Cain Külbel said that "Israeli Mossad killed Hariri to instigate political tension in Lebanon." Külbel also accused the former chief of the United Nations committee charged with investigating Hariri's death, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, of having misled the investigation. In a recent telephone interview with The Daily Star, Mehlis said he had not read the book because it would be a "waste ... to spend any money on it" - but added that "based on what I have heard so far about it, I would say that they are all just pretty dumb accusations." The Cabinet is scheduled to hold an extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss a request from the Justice Ministry to ask the UN to extend the investigating committee's mandate, as well as other issues. - The Daily Star
http://tinyurl.com/nfg9b
bin66 - 2. Mai, 00:26
