BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The head of a U.N.-appointed commission probing the slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri vowed to work with impartiality and professionalism.
Deputy Commissioner Peter FitzGerald said in a statement Friday that his three-member team consists of members of the Irish national police force. The team includes a forensic, a judicial and a political expert, including Martin Donellan, chief superintendent of Ireland's National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
"I will soon be joined by colleagues with expertise in law and political affairs, and I look forward to working closely with the Lebanese authorities," FitzGerald said.
"We fully understand the gravity of the task at hand, and can assure all concerned that we will work with absolute impartiality and professionalism," he added.
The International Inquiry Mission was ordered by the U.N. Security Council to uncover the circumstances, causes and consequences of Hariri's Feb. 14 assassination in a Beirut bombing.