by the dailystar.com.lb -- Ex-General Security chief Jamil al-Sayyed launched a scathing attack on the U.N. body tasked with investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri Tuesday, saying the investigation should have been left to the Lebanese authorities. “Had the investigation been left in our hands I’m sure we would have reached a solution,” Sayyed, currently a Hezbollah- affiliated member of parliament, said while giving evidence to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in Leidschendam, the Netherlands. Sayyed, who was detained in 2005 for four years by Lebanese authorities due to suspected involvement in the case, asked, “The real question is why the investigation was sidetracked for four years, and in whose interest was it?”

President of the Trial Chamber Judge David Re criticized Sayyed’s treatment at the hands of the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission at the beginning of the day’s session, saying he wished to put on the record “how badly you were treated in custody ... It is far below accepted international standards.” According to Re, Sayyed’s detention “breaches every international human rights standard.” Re’s fellow trial chamber judge Janet Nosworthy pressed Sayyed on certain actions taken by Lebanese authorities in the immediate aftermath of Hariri’s assassination that might be deemed suspicious, such as the quick removal of the vehicles destroyed in the bombing that killed the former prime minister. Sayyed conceded there were a lot of mistakes but maintained there had been no foul play by the Lebanese authorities. “I don’t see that any of the institutions were intentionally trying to eradicate evidence,” he said.

Sayyed resigned from his position due to political pressure shortly after the assassination. “The crime was bigger than all the institutions in place,” Sayyed said, claiming the crime scene investigators “didn’t have the right experience,” to which he attributed any mistakes made. Sayyed went so far as to accuse investigators from the IIIC of having demanded he fabricate evidence to make it seem as though the Syrian government had perpetrated the assassination. “I refused to be a false witness against Bashar Assad so [the commission] produced false witnesses against me,” Sayyed said. A number of testimonies provided to the IIIC in the early days of its investigation were subsequently revealed to be false. Sayyed said his treatment at the hands of the IIIC had changed his perceptions of international investigators. “I had the impression that the West had their own criteria, standards and ethics,” he said. “I have seen monsters ... When they act in our countries they become worse.” He said he had told one IIIC investigator, “When I look into your glassy eyes I realize that Hitler isn’t dead, he’s still living in you.”

by ANSA — Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, hosting nearly 1.5 million refugees. In September …

by the daily star.com.lb -- Lebanon’s top officials discussed a response to an Israeli proposal to solve a land dispute between the two states, with Beirut saying it wants any talks to include the maritime borders as well. “Israel wants to discuss only the land borders while Lebanon wants that, in addition to Block 9,” a political source said. Block 9 is an energy block containing potential offshore oil and gas reserves, part of which has been claimed by Israel. Lebanon, which views Israel as an enemy, has an unresolved maritime border dispute with its neighbor over a triangular area of sea of around 860 square kilometers. The zone extends along the edge of three of the five offshore energy blocks that Lebanon put to tender early last year. Block 9 is 1,700 square kilometers in size, of which 145-148 square kilometers are disputed.

Israel sent the proposal to Lebanon via UNIFIL and President Michel Aoun called for a meeting with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss a response. “Their [the Lebanese leaders’] message is clear that they will not accept negotiations without including Block 9,” the political source added. General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim is leading on Lebanon’s position and the Lebanese Army officials that partake in the tripartite meetings between Lebanon and Israel headed by UNIFIL report back to him. Few details of the meeting were revealed by attendees, however. Berri confirmed the talks touched on the border demarcations without going into further details. Hariri spoke to reporters, saying, “We are trying to be positive in working toward making progress with regards to the land and maritime border demarcations, and this meeting took place at the request of President Aoun to unify our thoughts and a decision to this topic.”

by Joseph Haboush Josie Ensor, beirut –Telegraph— Lebanese security forces have made the country’s biggest-ever drugs bust after confiscating 15 tonnes of …