The Special Tribunal for Lebanon Victims’ Participation Unit stressed on Friday that the trial of the suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri should not start without the participation of the victims who were affected in the crime.

A representative of the unit said during an STL court hearing in The Hague that the trials cannot begin without the victims, saying that there are several victims who are waiting for the tribunal to extend its hands and help them.

The head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Defense Office Francois Roux demanded on Friday that the arrest warrants against the four accused in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri be eliminated.

He said during a hearing at the STL headquarters in The Hague: “The issuance of arrest warrants has led to the accused being unable or unwilling to appear freely here in accordance with the provisions of the STL’s Rules of Evidence and Procedure.”

Naharnet Exclusive Report – Leidschendam:

A high-ranking official from the office of the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon said Judge Daniel Bellemare and his team have made up their mind to totally reject any plans to immediately begin in absentia trials of the four Hizbullah suspects in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination.

Pope Benedict XVI is planning to visit Cuba and Mexico in spring 2012 but there are currently no plans to visit Lebanon, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Thursday.

"The nuncios of Mexico and Cuba have been charged in recent days with informing the highest religious and political leaders in the two countries that the pope is examining a concrete project to visit," he said in a statement.

Former premier Saad Hariri said Thursday he would definitely vote for Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea if he runs for president in 2014.

Asked on Twitter whether he would vote for Geagea if the opposition March 14 camp won back the parliamentary majority in the 2013 elections, Hariri said: “I WILL VOTE FOR HIM IN HEART BEAT IN CAPITAL LETTERS.”

Over the past 10 days, lawyer Antoine Korkmaz -- who was appointed by Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s Defense Office as lead counsel for Mustafa Badreddine, the prime suspect in ex-PM Rafik Hariri’s murder – could not be reached on the phone.

Naharnet had repeatedly telephoned Korkmaz’s office in Paris over the past week and his secretary would only say that he was unavailable. It later appeared that he had been taking part in the coordination meetings held last week by the defense counsels at the court’s headquarters in Leidschendam.

Naharnet Exclusive Report – Leidschendam:

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has managed to baffle the defense counsels by voicing his opinion that “it is premature to initiate a trial in absentia.”

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem slammed Thursday what he called “the statement of a U.S. State Department source that encourages the Arab countries to join the political and economic boycott against Syria,” in a letter he sent to Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.

The aforementioned statement “exceeds the limits of the AL Charter and the bases of the joint Arab action,” Syria’s official news agency SANA quoted Muallem as saying.

Naharnet Exclusive Report – Leidschendam:

It remains unclear whether Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare’s health will permit him to attend Friday’s STL hearing aimed at discussing whether circumstances are suitable to try in absentia the four suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

Naharnet Exclusive Report – Leidschendam:

Deep disputes have emerged in the past week between the counsels of the four accused in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.