No breakthroughs in Hariri tribunal

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The Beirut visit by the chief prosecutor examining the slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is not a sign of a breakthrough, officials say.

Daniel Bellemare, the Canadian chief prosecutor for the tribunal, arrived in Beirut this week to visit with top government officials in the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the former premier's son.

Radhia Achouri, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor, said the chief was in Beirut to make sure the new government of Lebanon was supportive of the investigation, Lebanon's English-language newspaper The Daily Star reports.

The former prime minister was killed in February 2005 along with 21 members of his convoy as a bomb tore through his motorcade in downtown Beirut.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman pledged his support for the tribunal proceedings, expressing his confidence the investigation would not lead to political issues.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon at The Hague, Netherlands, is the first independent body established to investigate the crime of terrorism.

Beirut pledged to fund 49 percent of the budget for the investigation for three years. Achouri said there was no indication the new government in Lebanon would abandon those obligations.

"Basically everybody is on board," she said. "It's at full speed."