The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Referring to the case of Mr. Gibran Tueni, a member of the National Assembly of Lebanon, managing editor of an-Nahar newspaper and an outspoken critic of the Syrian Arab Republic and its allies in Lebanon, who was killed in a car bomb attack on 12 December 2005, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/180/12(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 179th session (October 2006),
Taking account of the Committee's meeting with the leader of the Lebanese delegation to the 116th Assembly and of the information he provided,
Recalling that, in its resolution 1644 (2005), the United Nations Security Council authorized the International Independent Investigation Commission entrusted with investigating Prime Minister Hariri's murder to devote part of its capacity to the task of extending technical assistance to the Lebanese authorities with regard to 14 cases of assassination attempts, assassinations and bomb attacks carried out in Lebanon since 1 October 2004, including the murder of Mr. Tueni,
Considering that the International Independent Investigation Commission's fifth report of 25 September 2006 (S/2006/760) states that its work on these cases "is beginning to produce links notably in identifying potential conjoining motives" and that "establishing the depth, breadth and nature of those links to an evidential standard is an investigation priority over the next months"; considering also that, according to the leader of the Lebanese delegation, the results of the investigation were initially scheduled to be published in June 2007, but that the Security Council, at the request of the Lebanese authorities, has extended this period for one year,
Recalling that soon after Mr. Tueni's assassination, the National Assembly associated itself with the court action taken by the public prosecutor; on 15 June 2006 the Minister of Justice, with the approval of the Supreme Judicial Council, designated Mr. Jihad Alwadi as the investigating judge in the case; considering that, according to the leader of the Lebanese delegation, the national investigating authorities are closely cooperating with the international investigation, which has precedence over the national investigation,
Considering that, on 21 November 2006, the United Nations Security Council expressed support for the establishment of an international tribunal for Lebanon that would have concurrent jurisdiction with the national courts, and would try those alleged to be responsible for Mr. Hariri's assassination and for any other attacks since October 2004 which are "connected in accordance with the principles of criminal justice and are of a nature and gravity similar to the attack of 14 February 2005"; considering that, according to the leader of the Lebanese delegation, everyone in Lebanon and all political parties are in favour of establishing such a tribunal,
Bearing in mind in this respect the current political deadlock in Lebanon preventing the Parliament from sitting and from taking any decision with regard to the establishment of the tribunal,
- Thanks the leader of the Lebanese delegation for the information he provided;
- Notes the progress being made in the investigation by the International Independent Investigation Commission, and trusts that the Lebanese investigating authorities will continue to assist it in any way so as to identify as quickly as possible those responsible for the murder of Mr. Tueni;
- Calls on the National Assembly to make every effort to contribute tosettling the present crisis so as to remove obstacles to the national decision-making process regarding the international tribunal for Lebanon;
- Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 117th Assembly (October 2007).
HUMAN RIGHTS