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Briefing item
Rafik Hariri assassination: move to freeze suspects' assets
Justice and home affairs - 11-01-2006 - 00:01
MEPs are set to adopt a Council regulation to freeze the funds and economic resources of a list of persons suspected of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. The Civil Liberties Committee will be voting on a report on the subject at a meeting on Monday 16 January, with the report then being put to the vote in plenary either on Wednesday or Thursday.
The purpose of the Regulation is to impose specific restrictive measures against designated persons suspected of involvement in the planning, sponsoring, organising or perpetrating of the assassination of Hariri. This is in line with measures taken by the United Nations Security Council, which in October 2005 decided to launch an international independent investigation commission looking into the February 2005 bombing that killed the former Lebanese Prime Minister and 22 others.
The freezing of funds and economic resources falls within the scope of the EU Treaty and the measures are similar to those imposed on persons and entities associated with Osama bin Laden, the Al-Qaida network, the Taliban and those covered by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Last time the European Parliament adopted a similar consultation procedure was to freeze the assets of weapon dealers in Sudan and Congo (June 2005).
In the case of Hariri's murder suspects, the list of persons and entities concerned is not specified at this stage and will be subsequently established by Council.
Debate : 17.01.2006
