NewsMine — war-on-terror — syria — 2005-syria-focus — Hariri-blast — Viewing Item

Witness paid to blame syria Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1841934,00.html http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1841934,00.html 'I was paid to blame Syria' 28/11/2005 15:46 - (SA) Beirut - A man has claimed on Syrian state TV that he was bribed to accuse top Syrian officials of the murder of Rafiq Hariri in his testimony to the United Nations commission into the former Lebanese premier's assassination. Husam Taher Husam, a former conscript in the Syrian army, alleged in a 75-minute interview on Sunday night that Saad Hariri, the son of the slain Hariri, met him several months ago and offered him $1.3m to testify against top Syrian officials. The spokesperson for the Syrian inquiry into Hariri's murder, Ibrahim Daraji, said on Monday that if Husam is the unidentified key witness quoted in the UN commission's interim report, then the United Nations' case "has completely collapsed." Daraji spoke at a press conference in Damascus on Monday at which Husam reiterated the allegations he had made on Syrian television the night before. Syria criticised UN report Husam told the television that UN officials told him what to say when he gave evidence to the UN commission, in particular that he was "close to" Brigadier General Assef Shawkat, the chief of Syrian military intelligence and brother-in-law of Syria's president, who was named in the commission's interim report last month. "But I've never seen him in my whole life," Husam said of Shawkat in the television interview. It was not possibly to reach Saad Hariri for a response on Monday as he was travelling in South America. News bulletins on Hariri's own Future TV station did not refer to Husam's claims. The UN commission rarely responds to media reports about the investigation. Husam's allegations came days before five senior Syrian officials were due to appear before the UN commission in Vienna. The officials, who have not been named either by the commission or Syria, will be questioned in the UN headquarters in the Austrian capital as part of an agreement reached after more than two weeks of negotiations over where and how their evidence would be taken. In its interim report, the commission implicated the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services in the Beirut bombing that killed Hariri and 20 others on February 14. Lebanon welcomed the report, but Syria rejected it as politicised and unfounded on evidence. Syrian officials have for weeks tried to discredit the UN investigation as biased against Syria. Previously, another Syrian, Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq, gave evidence to the commission but was later discredited. At the commission's recommendation, he was arrested in France in October and extradited to Lebanon where he is being held as a suspect in the murder. Hariri's assassination, which many Lebanese blame on Syria, was the catalyst for mass anti-Syrian street protests and intensified international pressure that forced Syria to withdraw its army from Lebanon, ending nearly three decades of domination.

Accusations fly over beirut blast Blast [jpg] Bomb blast came from drainage system { February 16 2005 } Bomb blast in exclusive section of city waterfront Clinton calls Hariri personal friend { March 8 2005 } Crater bombing [jpg] Crater [jpg] Crater2 [jpg] Daughter Hariri becomes worlds youngest billionaire { March 9 2006 } Dead interior minister challenger to assad { October 12 2005 } Device jammed cell phone during blast { February 14 2005 } Expert says assassination was state agencies Explosion [jpg] French US played good cop bad cop on mideast { February 3 2006 } Hariri assassination must had intelligence involvement Hariri bombing blamed on syria Hitech bomb out matched hitech armored convoy Intelligence agency behind blast { February 14 2005 } Kanaan and hariri on friendly terms Kanaan had good relationship with hariri { October 12 2005 } Kanaan not regarded as suspect says nyt { October 13 2005 } Kanaan regarded as key witness in investigation Kanaan was prime suspect Lebanese and syrian intelligence behind killing Massive bomb rips through lebanese motorcade { February 14 2005 } Qaeda says jihadists didnt kill hariri Responsible group speaks arabic with foreign accent { February 15 2005 } Syria despites un report on hariri death { October 22 2005 } Top assassination suspect was US syrian favorite { October 13 2005 } UN report blames syria United nation probe less threatening to syria { April 25 2006 } US suggests syria to blame in UN security council { February 15 2005 } Witness paid to blame syria Wounded [jpg] Files Listed: 34

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