wednesday,April 11,2007

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has written to the United Nations asking it to set up a special court to try suspects in the killing of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, officials said on Wednesday.Siniora sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday requesting that the Security Council moves on the tribunal after efforts to get the Lebanese parliament to approve the court failed, the officials said.

The court is at the heart of Lebanon’s worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The anti-Syrian majority coalition backing Siniora accuses the opposition, including groups allied to Damascus, of trying to thwart the tribunal’s establishment to protect its allies in the Syrian government.

Majority leaders accuse Damascus of the 2005 assassination of Hariri and a string of other attacks on anti-Syrian figures.Syria denies involvement.

The attacks are being probed by a U.N. investigation.

The majority has been demanding a session of parliament so that lawmakers can vote on the tribunal draft.

But Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — an opposition leader and Damascus ally — has yet to convene the chamber. He says he will not call it to debate the tribunal until there is a new government.

The opposition, which includes the powerful Hezbollah, disputes the legitimacy of the government which approved the tribunal statutes in November.

The opposition says it agrees with the idea of the tribunal but wants to discuss its mandate so it is not used as a political tool.

Ban said during a visit to Lebanon late last month he wanted the issue to move forward but that it was premature to talk about setting up the tribunal under Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter when Lebanese constitutional procedures had yet to be taken towards approving the court.

Chapter 7 makes Security Council resolutions mandatory under international law.