LEBANON HARIRI TRIAL

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON HANDOUT  

RESTRICTIONS: AP CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 4:05

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 September 2018

++16:9++

1. Poster for late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri on a banner reading (Arabic) "Time of Justice"

2. Close of banner

3. Traffic near site where Hariri was killed

4. Mid of torch sculpture

5. Banner reading (Arabic) "Assassination site of Prime Minster Rafic Hariri and his comrades"

6. Political analyst Ali Hamadeh in his office

7. Close of screen showing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon website

8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Hamadeh, political analyst:

"We hope that the role and the existence of this tribunal (Special Tribunal for Lebanon) will be an incentive or a deterrent to repeated political assassinations. But the experience in this region, and not only in Lebanon, tells us that the killing and bloodshed is still going on from Iraq to Lebanon to Syria and to Yemen. Despite the slow pace of the international justice, it may reach at the end its positive results, but the problem is the region is located on the peak of the volcano (figurative, refers to the volatile nature of the region)."

9. Various of Hariri statue

10. Tilt down of Al-Amine Mosque

11. Policeman in front of poster of Hariri

12. Owner of Justicia Centre, Paul Morkos, walking

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Paul Morkos, owner of Justicia Centre:

"It is expected that a preliminary verdict will be issued at the beginning of the year in January. This verdict could be an improved version of the indictment that was issued a few years ago with some additions that contain circumstantial evidence. It is not apparent today that there is clear, direct and solid proof coupled with this evidence to stop this verdict being the subject of criticism of the indictment which will allow for indiscriminate accusations between the political parties."

SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON HANDOUT  

Beirut, Lebanon - 18 September 2018

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14. Various of tribunal

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Barja, Mount Lebanon - 19 September 2018

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15. Retired police general, Ali Al-Hajj, walking in his house

16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Al-Hajj, retired police general:

"The international tribunal is strongly dependent on the United Nations, and this is its strength, but I can say that the trust of the majority of the people in the international tribunal and its decisions and what is happening in its hallway is missed at local, regional and international levels because at the beginning it relied on the false witnesses, misled investigations and forgery."

17. Close of Al-Hajj's eyes

18. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) General Ali Al-Hajj, retired police general:

"I can see that the path of the international tribunal from the beginning until today is to ignite the strife in Lebanon, to increase the differences between the Lebanese and to exert pressure on them. The aim of all that is to target those who are facing Israel, which is the resistance (Hezbollah)."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

FILE: Beirut, Lebanon - 14 February 2005

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19. Various of late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri's convoy on fire

LEADIN:

The United Nations backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon is preparing its verdict on the assassination of the late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

Four members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are being tried in absentia for their suspected involvement in his murder.

STORYLINE:

The streets of Beirut are hung with black banners. Rafic Hariri's face adorns them - "Time of justice" they read.

Fourteen years after Hariri was assassinated, the United Nations backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon is preparing its verdict.

Four members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are being tried for their suspected involvement in the murder.

Hezbollah has refused to turn over the four defendants and says it does not recognise the tribunal's authority. So the men are being tried in absentia.

A decision is expected to be reached in 2019.

Syria and its Lebanese allies were accused of the killing Prime Minister Hariri in a massive suicide truck bombing in Beirut in 2005, which also killed 21 others and injured 226 more.

A series of further bombings and assassinations followed. Syria vehemently denies involvement.

Hariri's assassination ignited mass protests and international pressure that forced Syria to withdraw its army from Lebanon after 29 years of control.

Ali Hamadeh, a political analyst at Al-Nahar Newspaper in Lebanon, hopes that the tribunal will put an end to political assassinations in the region.

"But the experience in this region, and not only in Lebanon, tells us that the killing and bloodshed is still going on from Iraq to Lebanon to Syria and to Yemen," he says.

"It may reach at the end its positive results, but the problem is the region is located on the peak of the volcano (figurative, refers to the volatile nature of the region)."

Paul Morkos, the owner of the Justicia legal research centre, expects a preliminary verdict will be issued by January 2019.

"This verdict could be an improved version of the indictment that was issued a few years ago with some additions that contain circumstantial evidence," he says.

Morkos warns of indiscriminate accusations between the Lebanese political parties if there isn't "clear, direct and solid proof" to support the verdict.

In 2009, The International Tribunal ordered the release of four former Lebanese security generals held over the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri.

Among the four generals, who have never been charged, is Ali Al-Hajj, a former Lebanese internal security director general.

Al-Hajj, also a former security officer for Prime Minister Hariri, says the majority of people don't trust the tribunal.

"At the beginning it relied on the false witnesses, misled investigations and forgery."

Al-Hajj has become politically close to Hezbollah in recent years, trying to get into parliament with their support.

He believes the tribunal is deliberately targeting the militant group.

"I can see that the path of the international tribunal from the beginning until today is to ignite the strife in Lebanon, to increase the differences between the Lebanese and to exert pressure on them," he says.

"The aim of all that is to target those who are facing Israel, which is the resistance (Hezbollah)," he says.

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SHOTLIST:

AP TELEVISION

Beirut, Lebanon - 17 August 201

++16:9++

1. Street where former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a blast in 2005

2. Sign reading (Arabic) "Place of the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri and his comrades"

3. Statue commemorating the assassination

4. Various of Hariri''s grave

5. Close up of Hariri''s photograph

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mohammad Kabbani, Member of Parliament:

"We are on the start of a new stage which is the tribunal is going to start its work. Up till now we were only having accusations. The trial will start soon. We are backing the tribunal as we did always and we think that it will reach the fact and it will also reach justice."

7. Kabani walking away

8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mohammad Faisal, Bierut resident:

"We are supporting the indictment decision and if they are strong enough (refers to Lebanese government) they must arrest the four men."

HANDOUT (SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON WEBSITE)

9. STILL of Assad Sabra, suspect

10. STILL of Hassan Oneissi, suspect

11. STILL of Mustafa Badreddine

12. STILL of Salim Ayyash

AL MANAR

++PLEASE NOTE AL MANAR IS CONTROLLED BY HEZBOLLAH++

Beirut - 17 August 2011

++4:3++

13. Wide of audience

14. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic), Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader:

"The text in our hands now is based on conclusions and analysis and not on clear evidence. It''s based on circumstantial evidence and is not credible. What we are hearing from the public makes us more convinced that it''s based on politicisation and injustice and accusations. And those honourable resistance fighters should not be called charged, but unjustly treated."

15. Wide of audience

AP TELEVISION

FILE: Beirut, Lebanon - 14 February 2005

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16. Various of immediate aftermath at the blast scene

SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON

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17. Various of pages of Indictment document issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

STORYLINE:

A long-awaited international indictment unsealed on Wednesday offers no direct evidence linking four Hezbollah suspects to the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, despite years of painstaking investigations.

The indictment, which relies heavily on circumstantial evidence such as telephone records to link the men to the crime, played into efforts by the powerful Iranian-backed Hezbollah to discredit a case that has consumed and divided Lebanon for more than six years.

"The text in our hands now is based on conclusions and analysis and not on clear evidence," Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech in Beirut on Wednesday.

"Those honourable resistance fighters should not be called charged, but unjustly treated," he added.

Much of the information contained in the indictment had been leaked to the media over the past two years, which Nasrallah said was a sign that the probe was tainted beyond repair.

Lebanon''s most powerful political and military force, Hezbollah has vowed never to turn over the suspects, although a trial may be held in absentia.

The suicide truck bomb that killed Hariri on 14 February 2005 was one of the most dramatic political assassinations in the Middle East.

A billionaire businessman, Hariri was Lebanon''s most prominent politician after the 15-year civil war ended in 1990.

In the six years since his death, the investigation has sharpened some of Lebanon''s most intractable issues: the role of Hezbollah, which commands an arsenal far greater than the national army, and the country''s dark history of sectarian divisions and violence.

Hariri was one of Lebanon''s most powerful Sunni leaders; Hezbollah is a Shiite group.

Prosecutors analysed a vast network of telephone records to link the "assassination team" to the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 22

others, according to the 47-page indictment.

Investigators tracked the movements of the suspects using their phones'' locations as recorded by cell phone towers.

The indictment says the records showed "a coordinated use of these phones to carry out the assassination."

According to the records, there was a flurry of calls shortly before Hariri''s murder, but they stopped two minutes before the explosion.

The phones were never used again.

The indictment also says the assassins tracked Hariri''s movements over several weeks to establish the routes and movements of his convoy and the location of his vehicle in it.

On the day of the murder, they detonated some 2,500 kilograms (5,510 pounds) of explosives packed into a Mitsubishi van parked near a hotel along Beirut''s Mediterranean waterfront.

Prosecutors acknowledge in the indictment''s preamble that they have no direct evidence linking the suspects to the attack.

The file relies to a large extent on circumstantial evidence "which works logically by inference and deduction," the indictment said.

SHOTLIST:

LEBANESE STATE TV

++4:3++

1. Wide exterior of Lebanese parliament

2. Close of Lebanese flag

3. Wide interior of Lebanese parliament in session

4. Mid of Lebanese members of parliament (MPs)

5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Marwan Hamadeh, Lebanese Member of Parliament:

++Various cutaways of parliament during soundbite++

"No, Mr. Prime Minister Mikati, your friend Hariri wasn't just martyred. He was assassinated with two tons of explosives, along with him, your colleagues, your friends and your citizens. For them, you have a holy responsibility that will follow you, will chase you, forever and ever. The worst series of the worst crimes in the history of Lebanon is being treated with irreverence, without investigation, without question and without punishment, and now after 30 years it is on the precipice of being solved, and its executors, God willing, and those who ordered it, will be known."

6. Close of Prime Minister Najib Mikati

7. Mid of MPs

AP TELEVISION

++16:9++

8. Set-up of UN defence official, Francois Roux

9. SOUNDBITE (French) Francois Roux, UN defence chief in Rafik Hariri case:

"My message to these individuals is the following: an arrest warrant has been issued against you today. The only person in the world who can get you out of this arrest warrant is a lawyer. So, make contact as soon as possible with a lawyer."

10. Cutaway of hands

11. SOUNDBITE (French) Francois Roux, UN defence chief in Rafik Hariri case:

"If the accused, or some of them, do not contact lawyers, then they will be tried in absentia. In that case, I myself have to assign lawyers on this list to defend the accused. But clearly those lawyers won't have contact with the accused, they won't know their points of view, and their job will certainly be more difficult."

12. Cutaway of hands

STORYLINE:

Lebanon's parliament began three days of contentious debate on Tuesday, over the government's response to UN-backed indictments of four Hezbollah members in the 2005 murder of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

In parliament on Tuesday, MP Marwan Hamadeh told Lebanon's new Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, that he had "a holy responsibility that will follow you, will chase you, forever and ever" to bring Hariri's killers to justice.

Hamadeh himself was injured in a car bomb explosion on October 1, 2004 that killed his driver and injured his bodyguard.

The blast is considered to have been the beginning of a series of assassinations of Lebanese politicians and journalists, one of which claimed the life of Rafik Hariri.

Tuesday's session in Beirut pitted Lebanon's rival factions against each other. Hezbollah and its allies are on one side, and a Western-backed coalition led by Hariri's son, Saad, is on the other.

On Monday, Saad Hariri accused Mikati of bowing to pressure from Hezbollah, which is refusing to turn over four members indicted by the UN-backed tribunal for the truck bombing that killed the Lebanese statesman in 2005.

Mikati fired back, suggesting Saad Hariri - himself a former prime minister - was trying to exploit his father's death for political gain and tear apart the country.

The implication of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in one of Lebanon's most stunning crimes threatens to bring a new and violent crisis in this Arab nation on Israel's northern border.

The Shiite militant group denies any role in the killing and vows never to turn over any of its members.

Also on Tuesday, the defence chief at the UN tribunal investigating the assassination of Rafik Hariri has urged the four Hezbollah members indicted in the slaying to come forward.

Francois Roux says the men will be tried in absentia if they stay in hiding.

"My message to these individuals is the following: an arrest warrant has been issued against you today. The only person in the world who can get you out of this arrest warrant is a lawyer. Make contact as soon as possible with a lawyer," Roux said.

Roux said that his office would help them prepare their defence.

The tribunal last week indicted the men in the 2005 assassination of Hariri, a prominent Sunni statesman.

Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah denies his Shiite group had any role in it and has vowed never to hand the men over.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide shot of street scene

2. Close-up of poster of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri

3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Saad Hariri, Legislator:

"The investigation's report is the first step in the course of uncovering the truth. We will look forward to (the investigation) continuing to reach the justice which alone will be the source of full comfort to the Lebanese people, the Lebanese state and its stability."

4. Cutaway

5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Saad Hariri, Legislator:

"The results reached by the UN international commission will not be subject to any internal or external bargaining - because the blood of the Lebanese people and the blood of Rafik Hariri and the others won't be starting any bargaining nor any political trade. We will not accept that, as it becomes a means of political or non-political punishment."

6. Exterior of the Grand Serail; Lebanese flag

7. Arrival of Justice Minister Charles Rizk and Social Affairs Minister Nayla Moawad

8. Arrival of Education Minister Khaled Kabbani

9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Lebanon's Information Minister Ghazi Aridi

"The UN investigation report, led by judge Detlev Mehlis, was highly appreciated by the Lebanese. The report expressed itself by the strong facts that it included and by the extreme professionalism, as was expected by the Lebanese people, without any compliance, biased or political influences.''

10. Cutaway journalists

11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Lebanon's Information Minister Ghazi Aridi

"The aim of discovering the details of this huge crime is to stop the series of the political assassinations in Lebanon and in all the Arab countries.''

12. Cutaway cameraman

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Lebanon's Information Minister Ghazi Aridi

"Despite of all that has happened, nothing will change the brotherly relations between the Lebanese and the Syrians. The strong relations between Lebanon and Syria should not be affected under any circumstances. This bond is stronger than the condemned deterioration and mistakes that happened in the past."

14. Ghazi Aridi leaving the presser

STORYLINE

The son and political heir of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Saturday praised a UN probe that implicated top Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officials in the murder of his father.

"The investigation's report is the first step in the course of uncovering the truth," said legislator Saad Hariri in a televised speech from his residence in the Saudi Arabian city of Jiddah.

Many Lebanese politicians are temporarily living abroad because they fear violence at home.

Hariri's statement came two days after the chief UN investigator, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, released the findings of the UN probe into his father's killing.

Mehlis said in his report there was a clear link between Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officials in the massive bombing that killed Hariri and

20 others in central Beirut on February 14.

Syria angrily rejected as false, unprofessional and politicised the UN report that accused it of approving Hariri's assassination.

Saad Hariri, who heads the largest anti-Syrian bloc in Lebanon's parliament, also said that the findings of the probe "will not be subject to any internal or external bargaining".

His statement was the first official comment on the UN report by the Hariri family.

Hariri spoke shortly before Lebanon's cabinet discussed the report, which it said was based on "strong facts and high level of professionalism".

The cabinet also called on Syria to cooperate honestly with the investigation, but Information Minister Ghazi Aridi insisted the probe would not

affect his country's ties with Damascus, adding the cabinet would discuss calls for an international tribunal after the UN investigation ended.

The elder Hariri's assassination prompted mass anti-Syrian protests and intensified international pressure on Syria to withdraw its army, ending 29

years of control of its neighbour.

Many Lebanese blamed the killing on Syria and pro-Syrian Lebanese security chiefs.

Syria and its Lebanese allies denied any involvement.

Four Lebanese generals who ran the security services at the time Hariri was killed have been jailed for alleged involvement in the murder.

The trial into the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, began in the Hague on Thursday, nearly nine years after his death.

Hariri and 22 others were killed in a massive truck bomb explosion in Beirut on February 14, 2005.

The four main Hezbollah suspects behind the bombing are being tried in absentia at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), because they are yet to be arrested.

During opening comments, Presiding Judge, David Re, said the defendants are being tried on several charges including "conspiracy to commit a terrorist act" and "premeditated intentional homicide by using explosive materials."

He added that the trial would proceed as if the defendants were present.

The four Hezbollah suspects include Mustafa Badreddine, believed to have been the group's deputy military commander, Salim Ayyash - also known as Abu Salim, Assad Sabra, and Hassan Oneissi, who changed his name to Hassan Issa.

The fifth man to be indicted was Hassan Habib Merhi, who was charged later than the other four suspects and is not officially a suspect in the trial.

"Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Hassan Oneissi and Assad Sabra, as the evidence will show, conspired together with others to commit this terrorist act aimed at assassinating the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Mr Rafik Hariri," prosecutor Norman Farrell told the court.

Prosecutors will call upon hundreds of witnesses during the course of the proceedings, which is likely to take months.

Hezbollah has condemned the tribunal as a conspiracy by its archenemies the US and Israel.

It has also denied any involvement in Hariri's assassination.

AP TELEVISION

Leidschendam, The Netherlands - January 16, 2014

++16:9++

1. Cars entering the compound for start of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)

2. Exterior of building where tribunal is being held

3. Close of flag of STL tribunal

STL (SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON) POOL

++4:3++

Leidschendam, The Netherlands - January 16, 2014

4. Various of courtroom as judges enter for start of tribunal

5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Re, Presiding Judge at Special Tribunal for Lebanon:

"The charges all arise out of the explosion in Beirut on the 14th of February 2005 that killed the former Lebanese Prime Minister Mr. Rafik Hariri and 21 others (excluding the suicide bomber) and injured over 200 people. The charges are of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, committing a terrorist act by using explosive materials, premeditated intentional homicide by using explosive materials and attempted premeditated intentional homicide by using explosive materials."

6. Wide of Peter Haynes, Lead Legal Representative for the Victims, speaking

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Norman Farrell, STL Prosecutor:

"Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Hassan Oneissi and Assad Sabra, as the evidence will show, conspired together with others to commit this terrorist act aimed at assassinating the former Prime Minister of Lebanon Mr Rafik Hariri. The accused, Badreddine and Ayyash with others, prepared and carried out the attack on the 14th of February. The accused, Oneissi and Sabra, assisted them as accomplices."

8. Mid of photo shown in court of February 14 blast

9. Mid of model of Beirut seafront on courtroom floor with defence counsel team sat behind

10. Close of evidence photo showing damaged cars

11. Mid of courtroom

AP TELEVISION

FILE: Beirut - 14 February, 2005

++4:3++

12. Various of Hariri assassination blast site with burnt out cars and emergency services attempting to control flames

AP TELEVISION

Leidschendam, The Netherlands - January 16, 2014

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13. Mid exterior of sign for Special Tribunal for Lebanon

14. Wide of media

15. Mid of attendees arriving at the tribunal

16. Mid of a woman holding a banner of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri

SHOTLIST

Beirut - 28 February 2009

1. Wide pan of Beirut cityscape

2. Ein El Mraiseh street, site of explosion that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri

3. Mid of Rafik Hariri statue

4. Mid of damage to building

5. Memorial flame where Hariri was assassinated

6. Set up of Member of Parliament Aatef Majdalani in his office

7. Close of photograph featuring Majdalani and Hariri

8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Aatef Majdalani, Lebanese legislator from the Future Movement bloc:

" The start of the international tribunal is the beginning of the saving of Lebanon and the start of the international tribunal is the beginning of the end of the political assassination."

9. Cutaway Hariri pin on Majdalani's lapel

10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Aatef Majdalani, Lebanese legislator from the Future Movement bloc:

" When the slain Prime Minister President Rafik Hariri was assassinated, the Syrian regime was in Lebanon and Lebanon was under the Syrian hegemony. The entire security was under their hands and that is why the international investigation committee pointed its accusation against the regime. I think that the tribunal should be able to try any suspect or criminal."

11. Tilt down exterior of Al-Amin mosque in central Beirut

12. Sign indicating "1475" days since Hariri's assassination

13. Various of Hariri's grave

14. Wide of Lebanese justice minister, Ibrahim Najjar, in his office

15. Cutaway close-up of Lebanese flag

16. SOUNDBITE (English): Ibrahim Najjar, Lebanese Justice Minister:

" The tribunal will be really independent and I think that, at least as far as Lebanese politicians are concerned, we have no intention whatsoever to interfere with the tribunal and its independence. This is really the way we see the tribunal functioning - with independence and capacity and only in order to find out the truth and to give their verdict."

17. Cutaway camera lens

18. SOUNDBITE (English): Ibrahim Najjar, Lebanese Justice Minister:

" Lebanon has really shocked with too many assassinations. I would say since more than 30 even 40 years. And it is about time now to terminate all that processes. We have to know who did what and this will be very benefit for us."

FILE: Beirut - 14 March 2005

19. Pan across protest crowd, protesters holding Lebanese flags

20. Mid of posters featuring Lebanese security chiefs being held up

Beirut - 28 February 2009

21. Set up of Samar Al-Hajj, wife of detained Brigadier General Ali Hajj

22. Portrait of Brigadier General Ali Hajj

23. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Samar Al-Hajj, Wife of detained Brigadier General Ali Hajj:

" We have been detained illegally for three and a half years. There is no existence for any law that can justify the detention of freedom. The detention is justified by a non-existent authority, in an illegal prison which does not exist on the prisons' map in Lebanon and does not relate to the chief of police as other prisons. If we want to speak legally we should not go to The Hague, otherwise they can take them (the four pro-Syria generals) in an arbitrary way, exceeding all the protocols and keep them there until the end of the parliamentarian elections."

FILE: Beirut - 15 February 2005

24. Various of aftermath of explosion which killed Hariri, firefighters tackling blazing vehicle wreckage

STORYLINE

Investigators have pored over evidence for four years - a human tooth found at the bombing site, a suicide truck that was stolen in Japan and made its way to Lebanon, reams of phone records and hundreds of interviews.

Now the focus in one of the Mideast's most dramatic political assassinations is shifting to prosecution, with the convening on Sunday of an international tribunal on the slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Despite the start of proceedings in the Netherlands, it is still not known who will be accused in the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 22 other people on a seaside street in Beirut on February 14, 2005.

Also unknown is the most politically explosive question - whether the proceedings will implicate Syria's government, which many Lebanese believe was behind the murder of a man who led opposition to the long Syrian military occupation of Lebanon.

Syria has denied any involvement.

The tribunal was welcomed on Saturday by Lebanese lawmaker Aatef Majdalani, of the Future Movement bloc, who said it would be the saving of Lebanon.

Majdalani said that Syria would be in the spotlight as Lebanon was under the Syrian regime at the time of the assassination.

The United Nations Security Council had to impose the mixed Lebanese-international Special Tribunal after Lebanon's parliament was too divided to approve it.

But Lebanese Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar insisted that the tribunal would be truly independent.

Most likely the first defendants before the court will be four pro-Syria generals who led Lebanon's police, intelligence service and an elite army unit at the time of the assassination.

They are the only people in custody, though they have not been formally charged.

The wife of one of the four officers detained, Brigadier General Ali Hajj, on Saturday called their detention "illegal".

Some in Lebanon doubt the court will ever bring out the full truth, believing it might avoid digging deep to ensure Syria does not react by stirring up trouble in Lebanon and other parts of the region.

Trials could also further polarise Lebanon's politics, feeding the power struggle between pro- and anti-Syria factions.

Administrators have said the tribunal will take up to five years to finish its work, and the top UN prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare of Canada, said in a statement on Saturday that it will be thorough.

As prime minister, Hariri, a billionaire businessman, was credited with rebuilding downtown Beirut after the 1975-90 civil war, and with trying to limit Syria's influence.

In a country known for political assassinations, his killing stands out for its far-reaching impact and set off huge anti-Syrian street protests in Lebanon and intense international pressure which forced Damascus to withdraw all its troops from Lebanon a few months later, ending nearly three decades of military domination.

But his death also threw Lebanon into turmoil.

Anti-Syria factions supported by the West won control of the government but were unable to exert any authority while locked in a struggle with Syria's allies, led by the Hezbollah movement.

The first UN investigator into the killing, Detlev Mehlis of Germany, said the assassination plot's complexity suggested a role by the Syrian intelligence services and its pro-Syria Lebanese counterpart.

But the two chief investigators who followed Mehlis have worked quietly and have not named any individuals or countries as suspects.

Last April (2008), Bellemare said investigators had evidence Hariri's killing was done by a "criminal network" also linked to a series of bombings and shootings that have killed seven anti-Syria figures and caused other deaths since Hariri's assassination.

The UN team worked under tight security for fear of attacks or intimidation, living in fortified compounds in Beirut and travelling in heavily protected motorcades.

The team also kept tight control of information about the investigation.

One piece of evidence is the tooth of the suicide bomber.

Forensic examinations determined the truck's driver was a man in his 20s who was not from Lebanon, according to Bellemare's predecessor as top investigator, Serge Brammertz of Belgium.

Investigators interviewed hundreds of people, including the presidents of Lebanon and Syria.

They acquired records listing more than 5 billion telephone calls and mobile phone text messages.

They determined the truck used in the bombing was stolen in Kanagawa, Japan, in October 2004 and purchased two months later near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

The probe has also seen numerous twists.

Husam Husam, a Syrian barber and self-proclaimed intelligence operative, at first implicated Syrian officials in testimony to investigators.

Then he left Lebanon for Syria and appeared on TV, recanting and saying the Hariri family paid him to frame Syria.

Lebanon's government dismissed the claim.

Another purported Syrian intelligence officer, Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq, was at first said to be a key witness, then a suspect - then he vanished while under house arrest in France.

A Lebanese man who was questioned about the sale of cell phone chips allegedly used for communicating in the bombing was found dead in what was ruled a car accident.

Syria's interior minister, Brigadier General Ghazi Kenaan, died in his Damascus office in late 2005 about a month after speaking with investigators.

Syrian officials said he shot himself to death, but some in Lebanon believe he was killed.

Kenaan ran Lebanon for two decades until 2003.

The trial of the Hezbollah members and supporters suspected of being behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, will finally start this week, nine years after his murder.

The suicide truck bomb attack that killed Hariri and 22 others on February 14, 2005 was one of the most dramatic top-level assassinations the Middle East and immediately caused an increase in what were already huge sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

The United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon will begin on Thursday on the outskirts of The Hague in the Netherlands.

However, the five key suspects behind the attack will be tried in absentia as they are still yet to be arrested.

They included four Hezbollah members indicted in 2011 with plotting the attack and another supporter charged last year. All of them remain at large.

The trial will be held under a hybrid system of international and Lebanese law.

Hezbollah has condemned the trial as a conspiracy by its archenemies the US and Israel. It's also denied any involvement in Hariri's assassination.

Despite widespread criticism of the trial, some inside Lebanon are optimistic that justice will prevail.

"We are confident that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will conduct these proceedings and the procedure in a very fair way in order to let the Lebanese at last find out the truth," said Ibrahim Najjar, a former Lebanese Justice Minister.

Other are hoping that the trial will help bring an end to the string of political assassinations which have rocked the country since Hariri's death.

The last attack was on December 27, 2013 when former finance minster Mohammed Chatah, a Hezbollah critic and also former aide to Hariri, was killed in a car bombing in Beirut.

"We and the international community wanted the tribunal to punish the criminals and to stop political assassinations," said legislator Atef Majdalani, a member of the Future Movement bloc that is headed by Hariri's son, Saad, also a former prime minister.

"Truth will emerge, justice is coming, therefore you should either move along this road, the road of justice, or justice will get you," Majdalani added.

But many question whether justice will indeed be done while the key defendants in the case are still at large.

AP TELEVISION

++16:9++

1. Wide of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's grave with photos of him in the background and the statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon next to the grave

2. Close of the UN-ratified Statute reading (Arabic) "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon"

3. Mid of Hariri grave with photo on top

4. Wide of former Lebanese Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar walking in his house

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ibrahim Najjar, former Lebanese Justice Minister:

"We are confident that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will conduct these proceedings and the procedure in a very fair way in order to let the Lebanese at last find out the truth."

6. Close of Najjar's hands holding a pair of glasses

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ibrahim Najjar, former Lebanese Justice Minister:

"I think that for the first time since 1943, Lebanon is about now to discover the truth within an independent tribunal."

8. Close of photograph of Najjar

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ibrahim Najjar, former Lebanese Justice Minister:

"Yes, there is a fear, at least somebody, some witnesses have declared that they fear to appear before the court and to say everything they have in mind or in their knowledge. I think that there is a real fear because when you kill a witness the truth is affected, that is why I think that there are special precautions, special undertakings that have been decided by the tribunal in order to protect them."

10. Mid of traffic at the explosion site where Hariri was killed

11. Close of Hariri statue

12. Atef Majdalani, Lebanese Member of Parliament walking

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Atef Majdalani, Future Movement MP:

"We and the international community wanted the tribunal to punish the criminals and to stop political assassinations, and to say that political assassinations will not solve any problems and that criminals responsible will be punished."

14. Close of photo of Majdalani and Hariri

15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr Atef Majdalani, Future Movement MP:

"Truth will emerge, justice is coming, therefore you should either move along this road, the road of justice, or justice will get you and punish the criminals among you."

FILE: AP TELEVISION

14 February, 2005

++4:3++

16. Various of Hariri assassination blast site with burnt out cars and emergency services attempting to control flames

17. Wide top shot of people gathering at Martyrs' Square in Beirut

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide exterior of Lebanese parliament

2. Close of Lebanese flag

3. Wide interior of Lebanese parliament in session

4. Various of Lebanese members of parliament (MPs)

5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Marwan Hamadeh, Lebanese Member of Parliament: ++includes various cutaways of parliament++

"No, Mr. Prime Minister Mikati, your friend Hariri wasn't just martyred. He was assassinated with two tons of explosives, along with him, your colleagues, your friends and your citizens. For them, you have a holy responsibility that will follow you, will chase you, forever and ever. The worst series of the worst crimes in the history of Lebanon is being treated with irreverence, without investigation, without question and without punishment, and now after 30 years it is on the precipice of being solved, and its executors, God willing, and those who ordered it, will be known."

6. Close of Prime Minister Najib Mikati

7. Mid of MPs

STORYLINE:

Lebanon's parliament began three days of contentious debate on Tuesday, over the government's response to UN-backed indictments which accuse four Hezbollah members of involvement in the 2005 murder of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

In parliament on Tuesday, MP Marwan Hamadeh told Lebanon's new Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, that he had "a holy responsibility that will follow you, will chase you, forever and ever" to bring Hariri's killers to justice.

Hamadeh himself was injured in a car bomb explosion on October 1, 2004 that killed his driver and injured his bodyguard.

The blast is considered to have been the beginning of a series of assassinations of Lebanese politicians and journalists, one of which claimed the life of Rafik Hariri.

Tuesday's session in Beirut pitted Lebanon's rival factions against each other. Hezbollah and its allies are on one side, and a Western-backed coalition led by Hariri's son, Saad, is on the other.

On Monday, Saad Hariri accused Mikati of bowing to pressure from Hezbollah, which is refusing to turn over four members indicted by the UN-backed tribunal for the truck bombing that killed the Lebanese statesman in 2005.

Mikati fired back, suggesting Saad Hariri - himself a former prime minister - was trying to exploit his father's death for political gain and tear apart the country.

The implication of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in one of Lebanon's most stunning crimes threatens to bring a new and violent crisis in this Arab nation on Israel's northern border.

The Shiite militant group denies any role in the killing and vows never to turn over any of its members.

The son of Lebanon's former prime minister who was assassinated almost eight years ago insisted on Thursday he was seeking "justice not vengeance" at the trial

of those accused of plotting the killing.

Saad Hariri, whose father Rafik was killed in a truck bombing on February 14, 2005, spoke outside the court where proceedings against four Hezbollah suspects were underway.

The four suspects were absent from the hearing as they have not been arrested.

"It is not in our dictionary to fight violence with violence," Hariri said. "Hopefully by the end of this trial we will find out the truth and we will get the justice that we call for in Lebanon."

A former prime minister of Lebanon, like his father before him, Hariri attended the hearing in the Netherlands along with relatives of other victims of the truck bombing which happened on February 14, 2005.

Shiite group Hezbollah denies involvement in the murder and the group's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, has denounced the court as a conspiracy by the U.S. and Israel.

Hariri criticised all those shielding the suspects from justice, calling it "a crime on top of the main crime".

During the proceedings, Alexander Hugh Milne, prosecuting, showed the court photographs of damaged cars which had been part of Rafik Hariri's convoy at the time of the blast.

He said his purpose in showing the mangled wreckage of the vehicles was to demonstrate that Rafik Hariri's assassination has been "a cruel, cruel act".

The presiding judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has said that the trial is likely to take months with hundreds of witnesses called.

Lebanon has a history of political assassinations for which no one has ever been held accountable. In the emotional days following his death, Hariri supporters called for an international investigation, and a U.N.-backed court was established in 2009.

AP TELEVISION

++16:9++

1. Wide of Saad Hariri, son of late Rafik Hariri and former Prime Minister of Lebanon, approaching the media outside of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Saad Hariri, son of late Rafik Hariri and former Prime Minister of Lebanon:

"Our call for justice and punishment will remain, but not revenge and it is not in our dictionary to fight violence with violence."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Saad Hariri, son of late Rafik Hariri and former Prime Minister of Lebanon:

"Protecting the accused in the crime of killing Rafik Al Hariri and his companions and then not handing them over to justice is a crime on top of main crime."

5. Wide of Hariri speaking to media

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Saad Hariri, son of late Rafik Hariri and former Prime Minister of Lebanon:

"This is what we want, justice not vengeance we never seek vengeance and hopefully by the end of this trial we will find out the truth and we will get the justice that we call for in Lebanon."

STL (SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON) POOL

++4:3++

7. Wide of the judges in the court room with a model of the part of Lebanon where explosion happened in the foreground

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Hugh Milne, Prosecutor: ++++partially covered by still images of vehicles destroyed in the blast that killed Rafik Hariri++

"Out of respect for deceased and their families we shall not show now detailed photographs of the injuries which were inflicted upon them. What maybe instructive though is to see the effect of the blast upon the vehicles which have been in the convoy. Vehicle 403, Mr Hariri's car was very badly damaged and subsequently gutted with the fire. Vehicle 404, was torn apart by explosion. What we show here, the fragments on the ground constitute all that was recovered of this vehicle. We show those not out of concern for cars, but because in our submission this explosion was a cruel, cruel act."

9. Wide of the court room

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

FILE: recent

1. Wide exterior of United Nations building

UNTV

17 December

2. Wide of Security Council chambers

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Daniel Bellemare, chief investigator of Rafik Hariri tribunal:

"The mandate of the commission is set to expire on December 31 of this month, but I have sought a two month extension to allow the commission to continue to function until the day the tribunal starts its operation."

4. Mid of Security Council meeting

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Daniel Bellemare, chief investigator of Rafik Hariri tribunal:

"In relation to the Hariri investigation, I stated before that we had gathered evidence establishing a network of individuals acted in concert to carry out the assassination. Since then the commission has identified new information that may allow us to link additional individuals with the network."

6. Wide of Security Council meeting

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Daniel Bellemare, chief investigator of Rafik Hariri tribunal:

"I know that people want to have more details. They want to know the exact nature of the progress achieved. They want to know what the commission has discovered so far, what leads are currently being pursued. I have said as much as I could responsibly. It must be remembered that lives are at risk. I will not argue my case in the media or in public."

8. Wide of Security Council meeting

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Neven Jurica, Croatian Ambassador and President of Security Council for December:

"Will those in favour of the draft resolution contained in document S-2008-792, please raise their hand?"

10. Pan of Security Council voting

11. Wide of news conference

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Daniel Bellemare, chief investigator of Rafik Hariri tribunal:

"The court has an obligation that is clearly set out in the statute, within a two month period of time, a request must be made for the file and the file includes documents, potential detainees and so on. So by statute the tribunal is obliged to ask the Lebanese authorities to transfer their file to the tribunal."

AP Television

FILE: recent

13. Push in UN flags

STORYLINE:

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to extend the investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The vote came after the chief investigator, Daniel Bellemare of Canada, asked that his commission's mandate be pushed ahead to February 28, from year's end.

Discussing a report released early this month on the status of the investigation, Bellemare told the Security Council that his team has uncovered fresh information that may link additional individuals to the network responsible for the February 2005 truck bombing that killed Hariri.

He also said additional links have been found between the assassination and some of the 20 other attacks in which his investigators are providing technical assistance to Lebanon's government.

Nobody has been charged in the suicide bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others, although four pro-Syria Lebanese generals have been under arrest for more than three years for alleged involvement.

The first U.N. chief investigator, Detlev Mehlis of Germany, has said the plot's complexity suggested that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services played a role.

Bellemare said despite calls for more information to become public, he would not provide any details from the investigation because "lives are at risk." The report also said that Syria has provided "satisfactory cooperation."

Syria denies any involvement in Hariri's death.

After the assassination, mass street protests in Lebanon and international pressure forced Syria to withdraw its troops from its neighbour after a 29-year presence.

Bellemare said he could not predict when the investigation will be completed, but said it will continue once he becomes prosecutor of the international tribunal set up to try suspects in Hariri's assassination.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he expects the tribunal to begin operating on March 1 in The Hague, Netherlands.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide of police checkpoint outside Roumyeh prison

2. Mid of policemen

3. Zoom into car carrying the released suspects leaving prison grounds

4. Close of released suspect inside the car

5. Cars leaving

6. Tilt up of fireworks

7. People cheering, pan to man firing AK-47 in celebration

8. Women trilling

9. Men dancing

10. Man beating drum

11. Man distributing sweets

12. Exterior of AlMashari Islamic charity association

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Sheikh Abdulkader al-Fakahani, al-Ahbash spokesman:

"We have known from the first moment that they were innocent and their arrest was not legal. The Lebanese justice released them today and that's what we were after."

14. Men cheering

STORYLINE

Three men jailed for more than three years in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri were set free on bail on Wednesday, days before an international tribunal was to begin trying the case.

The judge did not explain his decision to release two Lebanese brothers on a bail of 500,000 Lebanese pounds (330 US dollars) each and a Syrian man on a bail of just 100,000 Lebanese pounds (67 US dollars).

The three could still be prosecuted in the case, although no one has been charged in the suicide bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on a seaside street in Beirut on February 14, 2005.

Investigating judge Saqr Saqr's decision, carried by the official news agency, said four other suspects in the bombing - all pro-Syrian Lebanese generals - would remain jailed, which could allow them to be turned over to the international court.

As the news of the release of the Abdel-Al brothers filtered down, several hundred supporters gathered outside offices of Ahmed's faction in a Muslim neighbourhood of Beirut to await their arrival.

Some beat drums, others handed out candy, set off firecrackers or fired off pistols into the air in celebration.

A spokesman for the pro-Syrian Islamic group, known as al-Ahbash, welcomed the release of the brothers, saying it knew they were innocent from the start.

At the time of the assassination, the generals headed the police, military intelligence, a General Security agency, and the Presidential Guard Brigade.

The late Hariri had close ties with Western leaders and was credited with helping rebuild Beirut after the 1975-1990 civil war and trying to limit

neighbouring Syria's influence over Lebanon.

Following his assassination, Syria's army withdrew after mass protests, which also sparked political upheaval and violence.

The UN Security Council ordered an independent investigation into the assassination after its fact-finding mission found that the Lebanese

investigation was flawed.

The Security Council set up the mixed Lebanese-international tribunal in the Netherlands at the Lebanese government's request after parliament split between the majority and the opposition and failed to ratify an agreement with the UN.

The case has been handed over to the tribunal.

The first UN investigator, German Detlev Mehlis, said the plot's complexity suggested Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services played a role.

Hariri's supporters accuse Damascus of the bombing, but Syria denies involvement.

Two of the men freed on Wednesday - brothers Mahmoud and Ahmed Abdel-Al, a member of a pro-Syrian Sunni Muslim fundamentalist group - were detained in 2005.

A UN probe into the slaying said Mahmoud made "interesting" phone calls February 14, including one to former President Emile Lahoud, just before a truck bomb killed Hariri, raising questions about the president.

But the office of Lahoud, a Hariri rival and Syria's staunchest ally, denied the president received the call.

Lahoud's extension of his term in September 2004 for three more years, under pressure from Syria, triggered a sharp disagreement between Damascus, then a dominant power in Lebanon, and Hariri, who opposed the measure then relented before resigning two months later.

Ahmed Abdel-Al was named by the U.N. probe in 2005 as a "key figure" who had extensive contacts with top Lebanese security officials before and after the blast, and tried to hide information from investigators.

The third man freed, Syrian Ibrahim Jarjoura, was arrested in 2006 on suspicion he gave false evidence and misled the investigation.

SHOTLIST:

01 March 2009

1. Wide of Beirut city skyline

2. Mid of Lebanese army Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) on road

3. Close of APC

4. Mid of traffic on Beirut city street

5. Various of newspapers

6. Wide of Al-Amin mosque

7. Close of mosque

8. Wide of people standing around murdered former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's grave

9. Mid of people reciting versus of the Quran at Hariri's grave

10. Mid of Hariri's grave with pictures of Hariri in background

11. Close of Hariri's picture

12. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mohammad El-Sheikh, resident, vox pop:

"This tribunal will put an end to the killing, the criminal must be punished."

13. Mid of people standing around the grave

14. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Leila Fleifel, resident, vox pop:

"Lebanon will not be a place for living or for development if this tribunal is not effective."

15. Wide of traffic on city street

16. Mid of Lebanese army APC under bridge

FILE: 04 September 2000

17. Various of Hariri greeting people

FILE: 26 October 2000

18. Convoy of Hariri arriving at presidential palace after being elected Prime Minister

19. Hariri getting out of car and walking into presidential palace

20. Various of meeting between Hariri and then Lebanese President Emile Lahoud

21. Close of photographs of Hariri and his family

22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rafik Hariri, former Lebanese Prime Minister:

"I believe we have to open the economy as much as we can, we have to overcome all the obstacles and try to make Lebanon as the commercial centre and financial centre for the middle east."

23. Close of Lebanese flag

24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rafik Hariri, former Lebanese Prime Minister:

"You know, there's a consensus in Lebanon that Israel has to withdraw from all Lebanese territory. Anyway for me, I believe in peace and I believe that we have to do everything to achieve peace in the region."

25. Hariri talking mobile phone

STORYLINE:

An international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was starting work on Sunday at its headquarters in a village outside The Hague.

Despite the start of proceedings, it is still not known who will be accused in the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 22 other people on a seaside street in Beirut on 14 February 2005.

Lebanese army forces in armoured personnel carriers were deployed on the streets of Beirut on Sunday to maintain calm.

Hundreds of Hariri supporters gathered peacefully around his grave in downtown Beirut, many expressing their support for the tribunal.

Mohammad El-Sheikh a resident in Beirut said whoever was responsible for the killing must be punished and he hoped the tribunal would achieve that.

While Leila Fleifel said Lebanon would not be a suitable place for living if the tribunal was not effective.

Four pro-Syrian generals are being held in Lebanese custody although none of them have been formally charged with Hariri's murder.

The generals led Lebanon's police, intelligence service and an elite army unit at the time of the assassination.

Court prosecutor Daniel Bellemare of Canada said he expects to request within weeks for Lebanon to transfer to the court the four generals.

As prime minister, Hariri, a billionaire businessman, was credited with rebuilding downtown Beirut after the 1975-90 civil war, and with trying to limit Syria's influence.

Many in Lebanon believe Syria was behind the assassination.

Syria has denied any involvement.

After the assassination, mass street protests in Lebanon and international pressure forced Syria to withdraw its troops from its neighbour after a 29-year presence.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon to investigate Hariri's killing was set up by the UN Security Council in 2007 and comprises both foreign and Lebanese judges.

It is based in the Netherlands to ensure the safety of staff and an impartial trial.

The judges have not yet been sworn in and the names of Lebanese judges have been withheld out of fears for their safety.

Some in Lebanon doubt the tribunal will ever bring out the full truth, believing it might avoid digging deep to ensure Syria does not react by stirring up trouble in Lebanon and other parts of the region.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on a trip through Africa, issued a statement praising Sunday's tribunal opening.

He said the commencement marked a "decisive milestone" in the efforts by all Lebanese and the international community to uncover the truth, and bring those responsible to justice.

The Hariri court is the latest international tribunal to be based in the Netherlands.

The Hague is home to the International Court of Justice, the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal and the International Criminal Court.

SHOTLIST:

01 March 2009

1. Wide of Beirut city skyline

2. Mid of Lebanese army Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) on road

3. Close of APC

4. Wide of traffic on city street

5. Mid of Lebanese army APC under bridge

6. Wide of Al-Amin mosque

7. Close of mosque

8. Wide of people standing around murdered former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's grave inside the Al-Amin mosque

9. Mid of people reciting versus of the Quran at Hariri's grave

10. Mid of Hariri's grave with pictures of Hariri in background

11. Close of Hariri's picture

01 March 2009

12. Wide of people gathering around Hariri's grave

13. Pull out to wide of Lebanese politicians laying a wreath on Hariri's grave

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Marwan Hamadeh, Lebanese legislator from the Democratic Gathering bloc:

"It is the beginning of truth, the beginning of justice and I think that it is a page that is being opened in the history of Lebanon, the page of Justice, the end of impunity and it is a lesson for many regimes around us in the Middle East."

15. Mid of May Chidiac, a Lebanese journalist and survivor of a targeted car bomb attack, laying flowers at grave

16. Photo of Hariri

17. SOUNDBITE (English) May Chidiac, Lebanese journalist and survivor of a targeted car bomb attack:

"We have suffered too much from killing and killing attempts and the explosions that were put here and there for many decades so now we hope this chapter will be over and will be closed."

18. People leaving the Hariri memorial ceremony

FILE: 26 October 2000

19. Convoy of Hariri arriving at presidential palace after being elected Prime Minister

20. Hariri getting out of car and walking into presidential palace

21. Various of meeting between Hariri and then Lebanese President Emile Lahoud

22. Hariri talking mobile phone

STORYLINE:

An international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was starting work on Sunday at its headquarters in a village outside The Hague.

Despite the start of proceedings, it is still not known who will be accused in the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 22 other people on a seaside street in Beirut on 14 February 2005.

Lebanese army forces in armoured personnel carriers were deployed on the streets of Beirut on Sunday to maintain calm.

Hundreds of Hariri supporters gathered peacefully around his grave in downtown Beirut, to mark the beginning of the International Tribunal with many expressing their support.

Marwan Hamadeh, a Lebanese legislator who was targeted by a car bomb in Beirut in 2004, said the tribunal turned a page in Lebanon's history.

Hamadeh said the tribunal "is the beginning of truth, the beginning of justice" and he hoped it would be a "lesson for many regimes around us in the Middle East".

Also paying her respects at the graveside on Sunday was May Chidiac, a Lebanese journalist who also survived a car bomb attack.

Chidiac said she hoped the tribunal would spell the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people.

Four pro-Syrian generals are being held in Lebanese custody although none of them have been formally charged with Hariri's murder.

The generals led Lebanon's police, intelligence service and an elite army unit at the time of the assassination.

Court prosecutor Daniel Bellemare of Canada said he expects to request within weeks for Lebanon to transfer to the court the four generals.

As prime minister, Hariri, a billionaire businessman, was credited with rebuilding downtown Beirut after the 1975-90 civil war, and with trying to limit Syria's influence.

Many in Lebanon believe Syria was behind the assassination.

Syria has denied any involvement.

After the assassination, mass street protests in Lebanon and international pressure forced Syria to withdraw its troops from its neighbour after a 29-year presence.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon to investigate Hariri's killing was set up by the UN Security Council in 2007 and comprises both foreign and Lebanese judges.

It is based in the Netherlands to ensure the safety of staff and an impartial trial.

The judges have not yet been sworn in and the names of Lebanese judges have been withheld out of fears for their safety.

Some in Lebanon doubt the tribunal will ever bring out the full truth, believing it might avoid digging deep to ensure Syria does not react by stirring up trouble in Lebanon and other parts of the region.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on a trip through Africa, issued a statement praising Sunday's tribunal opening.

He said the commencement marked a "decisive milestone" in the efforts by all Lebanese and the international community to uncover the truth, and bring those responsible to justice.

The Hariri court is the latest international tribunal to be based in the Netherlands.

The Hague is home to the International Court of Justice, the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal and the International Criminal Court.

SHOTLIST

1. Beirut city skyline

2. Mid of traffic

3. Wide of newspaper stand

4. Tilt down of newspaper headlines

5. Mid of the released Generals' pictures

6. Man reading newspaper

7. Newspaper headline reading (Arabic) "The release of the Generals: An end of a phase"

8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Samer Habib, resident:

"The decision was supposed to be taken in Lebanon as long as they were innocent; it was unfair to stay three years (in prison). They should look after the killers and punish them"

9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Amer Takieddine, resident:

"I see it politically biased. Nobody knows anything. It is a mess. Nobody knows how they were arrested and how they were released."

10. Mid of traffic

11. Wide of Saad Hariri, son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, meeting with Walid Jumblatt, head of National Democratic Gathering bloc

12. Close of Jumblatt

13. Close of Hariri

14. Hariri and Jumblatt walking towards podium

15. Cutaway cameraman

16. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic), Walid Jumblatt, head of National Democratic Gathering bloc:

"The most important thing we can do to execute the justice in the Hariri case is to go for the elections in one row and we will win the elections."

17. Mid of released General Jamil Al-Sayyed shaking hands with supporters

18. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Jamil Al-Sayyed, released General:

"I do not seek revenge and I do not have the hate feeling. Hate is for the weak in this life, but at the same time I was in charge in the State and I like accountability. If the judges who erred, the officers and the journalists who fed the false witnesses with information resign as a result of the court's decision then I consider being compensated. If they do not resign and if they will be fired by Saad Hariri then I will consider being compensated with his father (Rafik Hariri)"

19. Wide of hall

STORYLINE

One of four generals released after being held for nearly four years over the 2005 truck bomb assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said on Thursday he did not seek revenge.

"I do not have the hate feeling. Hate is for the weak in this life," said former general security chief Major General Jamil Al-Sayyed, one of those freed.

Lebanon released them on orders from a UN-backed tribunal.

Their release from a Beirut prison left the international tribunal in the Netherlands with no suspects in custody after a four-year UN investigation into an assassination that triggered enormous political and sectarian turmoil in one of the Middle East's most volatile countries.

The tribunal's decision, after prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to justify their continued detention, could also have an immediate political impact.

Lebanon is heading into a crucial parliamentary election on 7 June that pits a pro-Western faction headed by Hariri's son Saad against an opposition dominated by the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah.

Saad Hariri's faction is struggling to hold onto its legislative majority.

The opposition, which took up the cause of the four generals, could get a boost from their release.

The generals had been held since August 2005 for suspected involvement in the suicide bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others in Beirut in February of that year.

Tribunal judge Daniel Fransen demanded that Lebanese authorities protect the generals after he ordered their unconditional release and said they should no longer be considered suspects.

Fransen said a key witness had retracted a statement that initially incriminated the generals, undermining the case against them.

Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said in court he would not appeal.

So far, Bellemare has not indicted anyone and has not identified any other suspects in the suicide bombing.

Hariri's assassination sparked mass protests that forced Syria's army out of the country after about three decades of political and military domination by Lebanon's neighbour.

As prime minister, Hariri, a (b) billionaire businessman, was credited with rebuilding downtown Beirut after the 1975-90 civil war and with trying to limit Syria's influence in the last months before his assassination.

SHOTLIST

Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STP)

The Hague, Netherlands - 29 April 2009

1. Wide of of Special Tribunal for Lebanon officials

2. SOUNDBITE (French) Judge Daniel Fransen, Pretrial Judge:

"Now in the case in hand: having examined in depth all the materials in the case file collected by the investigation commission, the Lebanese authorities and his office, the prosecutor considers that the evidence available to him currently is not sufficiently credible to request the maintenance in detention of those persons based on that and the fact that these persons are presumed innocent the prosecutor does not believe that there is a need to keep them in detention at this point in the proceedings."

3. Wide of officials

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 29 April 2009

4. Pan of detained general, Jamil Sayyed's family, supporters and media watching announcement on television

5. Close of television screen

6. People cheering at decision announcement, they applaud and embrace each other

7. Close of Sayyed's wife, Elaine, zoom out as she embraces her son

8. Family distributing sweets in celebration

9. Close of framed photograph of Sayyed

10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Elaine Sayyed, Jamil Sayyed's wife:

"We thank God that the truth we wanted was revealed. Not the false truth that they have been asking for from day one. Jamil Sayyed who built institutions could never be a criminal."

11. Tilt down from fireworks in sky to supporters setting off fireworks on street

AP Photos - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE

FILE: Beirut, Lebanon - 17 March 2005

12. STILL photo of then General Security chief, Major General Jamil Sayyed

AP Photos - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE

FILE: Beirut, Lebanon - 26 March 2002

13. STILL photo of then Presidential Guards commander Brigadier General Mustafa Hamdan (on left) with former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud

AP Photos - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE

FILE: Beirut, Lebanon - 2004

14. STILL photo of Major General Ali Hajj, the ex-Internal Security Forces director general

AP Photos - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE

FILE: Beirut, Lebanon - 2004

15. STILL photo of Brigadier General Raymond Azar, the former military intelligence chief

STORYLINE

A judge at the United Nations-backed tribunal set up to prosecute former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassins on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of four pro-Syrian generals being held in Beirut as suspects in the killing.

The generals have been in jail since August 30, 2005, on suspicion of involvement in the bombing six months earlier on a Beirut seaside street which killed Hariri and 22 others.

However, the four - General Security chief Major General Jamil Sayyed; Major General Ali Hajj, the ex-Internal Security Forces director general; Brigadier General Raymond Azar, the former military intelligence chief; and the then Presidential Guards commander Brigadier General Mustafa Hamdan - have never been formally charged.

On Wednesday, Judge Daniel Fransen - the pretrial judge on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at the Hague - ordered the Lebanese generals freed after prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to justify their continued detention.

Fransen said a key witnesses had retracted a statement that initially incriminated the generals, undermining the case against them.

Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said in court he would not appeal. He said in a written submission this week that the "evidence available to him currently is not sufficiently credible" to keep detaining the four generals.

So far, Bellemare has not indicted anyone and has not identified any other suspects in the suicide bombing.

Fransen also demanded that Lebanese authorities protect the generals after their unconditional release and said they should no longer be considered suspects.

The eagerly awaited decision - made public in the Hague and broadcast live across Lebanon - was met with fireworks and celebrations from the generals' supporters in Beirut.

Hariri's assassination and accusations by his supporters of Syrian involvement sparked massive protests in Lebanon and together with international pressure forced Syria to withdraw its army from the country, ending 29 years of domination.

Syria has denied involvement.

The release could have an immediate political impact as Lebanon heads into a crucial parliamentary election.

The tribunal opened March 1 amid tight security at the former headquarters of a Dutch intelligence agency in Leidschendam, a village on the outskirts of The Hague.

It is made up of Lebanese and international judges and Canadian prosecutor, Bellemare, who has yet to issue any indictments.

The court uses Lebanese law, but cannot impose the death penalty.

As prime minister, Hariri, a billionaire businessman, was credited with rebuilding downtown Beirut after the 1975-90 civil war, and with trying to limit Syria's influence in the country following decades of heavy military and intelligence presence.

UN-appointed investigators have been probing his assassination for years.

The first chief investigator, Germany's Detlev Mehlis, said the plot's complexity suggested that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services had a role.

SHOTLIST

1. Mid of people dancing and beating drums outside Major General Jamil Sayyed's home

2. Close up of portrait of the four released generals with writing (Arabic) "Free"

3. Mid of people dancing and waving flags

4. Tilt down from poster to people dancing

5. SOUNDBITE: (English), Nawar Al-Sahili, Hezbollah member of Parliament:

"It is a sad day for the Lebanese judges, what happened is that four big Generals were detained in prison for no reason. I think that what happened today is a victory not for the opposition or somebody in the political problems in Lebanon but it is a victory for the human rights and a victory for the law."

6. Woman on balcony waving portrait of the generals

7. Exterior of the Interior ministry

8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ziad Baroud, Lebanese Interior Minister:

"We have taken all the security measures for the immediate release of the four Generals according to the stipulation of the (International Tribunal) decision and according to the cooperation between the Lebanese state and the court. It is at this moment taking place."

9. Various of Lebanese army vehicles outside Roumieh prison

STORYLINE

There were celebrations across Beirut on Wednesday as live television carried the news of the release of four pro-Syrian generals being held as suspects in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Earlier on Wednesday a judge at the United Nations-backed tribunal in The Hague, set up to prosecute Hariri's assassins, ordered the immediate release of the four generals.

The four ordered freed were former General Security chief Major General Jamil Sayyed; Major General Ali Hajj, the ex-Internal Security Forces director general; Brigadier General Raymond Azar, the former military intelligence chief; and the former Presidential Guards commander, Brigadier General Mustafa Hamdan.

Fireworks and some gunfire echoed across the Lebanese capital as news of the release was conveyed from The Hague.

At Sayyed's home in Beirut, relatives burst out in tears of joy, hugging and kissing each other.

Women relatives ululated in a traditional sign of jubilation.

Supporters of Sayyed gathered outside his house in Beirut dancing and beating drums to celebrate his release.

Hezbollah member of Parliament, Nawar Al-Sahili said it was a "sad day" for Lebanese justice, since it had recommended the detention of the generals.

Judge Daniel Fransen ordered the Lebanese generals freed after prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to justify their continued detention.

Fransen also demanded that Lebanese authorities protect the generals after their unconditional release and said they should no longer be considered suspects.

The generals have been in custody in Lebanon since August 2005, six months after Hariri and 22 others were killed in a suicide bombing.

Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said Lebanese authorities were taking immediate measures to free the generals, taking into consideration measures for their security.

The four generals were the only suspects being held in the case.

Three other suspects jailed for more than three years were set free on bail in Beirut in February, a few days before the tribunal began its work and jurisdiction of the case was transferred to the court.

Hariri's assassination and accusations by his supporters of Syrian involvement sparked massive protests in Lebanon and together with international pressure forced Syria to withdraw its army from the country, ending 29 years of domination.

Syria has denied involvement.

The release could have an immediate political impact.

Lebanon is heading into a crucial parliamentary election that pits a pro-Western faction headed by Hariri's son Saad against an opposition dominated by the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah.

Saad Hariri's faction is struggling to hold onto its legislative majority while the opposition has taken up the cause of the four generals.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has opposed the continued detention of the four, saying they should be charged and put on trial if they were suspected of involvement or otherwise released.

The tribunal opened March 1 amid tight security at the former headquarters of a Dutch intelligence agency in Leidschendam, a village on the outskirts of The Hague.

It is made up of Lebanese and international judges and Canadian prosecutor, Bellemare, who has yet to issue any indictments.

The court uses Lebanese law, but cannot impose the death penalty.

As prime minister, Hariri, a billionaire businessman, was credited with rebuilding downtown Beirut after the 1975-90 civil war, and with trying to limit Syria's influence in the country following decades of heavy military and intelligence presence.

UN-appointed investigators have been probing his assassination for years.

The first chief investigator, Germany's Detlev Mehlis, said the plot's complexity suggested that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services had a role.

SHOTLIST:

1. U.N. Security Council in session, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan sitting down

2. U.S. Ambassador, seated beside Algerian Ambassador

3. French Ambassador, seated beside Greek Ambassador

4. Lebanese Ambassador takes his seat

5. Syrian Ambassador takes his seat

6. Vote call and announced results UPSOUND (english)

"The result of the voting is as follows, the draft resolution has been adopted unanimously ...."

7. Wide of end of Security Council session

8. Annan leaving

9. Various ambassadors leaving

10. Jean-Marc De la Sabliere, French Ambassador to the U.N., walking to microphone

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Marc De la Sabliere, French Ambassador to the U.N.:

"The Mehlis (U.N. Chief Investigator Detlev Mehlis) report is very clear that the cooperation provided by the Syrian authority, even as Mr. Mehlis has said they have opened the door, is not enough. And this cooperation is not full cooperation and conditional cooperation. And the Security Council has today, in adopting this resolution, expressed concern that this cooperation has yet to be full and unconditional. So what we're expecting from Syria is full and unconditional cooperation."

12. Fayssal Mekdad, Syrian ambassador to the U.N., walking to microphone

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Fayssal Mekdad, Syrian ambassador to the U.N.:

"We are fully confident that Syria is innocent; Syria will never be behind such heinous actions and the crimes. We condemn all these crimes and this has never been our policy. So our cooperation with the commission during the forthcoming period will be given and we hope that the reality of those who stand behind these crimes will be uncovered."

14. Syrian ambassador leaving

STORYLINE:

The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri, but has not agreed to Lebanon's request to immediately broaden the probe and establish an international tribunal.

After a day of intense negotiations on how to characterise Syria's dealings with U.N. investigators, the council on Thursday expressed "extreme concern" that the Syrian government has still not provided "the full and unconditional cooperation" that the U.N has demanded.

In last minute wording to satisfy Russia, "the Syrian government has not yet provided..." was changed to "the Syrian government has yet to provide... the full and unconditional cooperation demanded."

The resolution's co-sponsors - the United States, France and Britain - faced opposition from Russia, China and Algeria on the extent of Syria's cooperation as well as on expanding the probe and setting up an international tribunal.

The latest report said new evidence strengthened U.N. Chief Investigator Detlev Mehlis' belief that the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services had a hand in the 14th February assassination of Rafik Hariri and 20 others in Beirut.

It said there were 19 suspects so far, including six high-ranking Syrian officials.

The french ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Marc De la Sabliere, told reporters after the meeting that the security council expects "full and unconditional cooperation" from Syria.

Syria's U.N. ambassador, Fayssal Mekdad, vehemently denied that Damascus was involved and that Syria wasn't cooperating with the investigation.

LEADIN:

2014 has been a tumultuous year for Lebanon, as Syria's civil war continued to spill over into the country.

From managing one million refugees, to suicide bombings and clashes between government forces and Islamic militants, the past year has been a challenging one.

STORYLINE:

January 2nd, just two days into the new year and a deadly car bomb shakes the Beirut suburb Haret Hreik - known for being a Hezbollah stronghold.

The attack kills five people, wounds dozens more and raises fears that the country is being pulled in opposite directions by sectarian tension.

January also signals the start of the long-awaited trial over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri - nine years after his death.

From The Hague, in the Netherlands, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will try five suspects, all tied to Hezbollah, for Hariri's death.

There are still many questions to answer, not least the whereabouts of the five suspects - they've not been caught and are being tried in absentia.

In February, ten months after becoming prime minister, Tammam Salam finally forms a government.

Salam's 24-member national unity Cabinet includes members of the Western-backed coalition as well as those of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its allies.

"I am sure we will be able to put matters in the right perspective taking into consideration what our people, what the Lebanese, are looking forward to," he says at the time.

Many hundreds of women and activists march to Lebanon's parliament to show their support for victims of domestic violence to mark International Women's Day on 8 March.

Several high profile cases of domestic murders hit the headlines in 2014.

This year, the first Lebanese law against domestic violence was passed, offering Lebanese women some protection from abuse.

April 3rd is something of a milestone in the country.

Three years after the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Lebanon saw the one millionth Syrian to be registered as a refugee.

Almost one in four people in Lebanon are now refugees from neighbouring Syria.

"The challenge today is waking up to the realisation that this is a very protracted conflict. It's not going to end tomorrow. It's going to take some time. We don't know how long but there is a large number of people who are not going home soon. So their needs need to be addressed very quickly before it explodes in all of our faces," says Maha Yahya, from the Carnegie Centre for Middle Eastern Studies.

The country's infrastructure - from schools and hospitals to rubbish collection - remains over burdened, with some communities now imposing restrictions on refugee numbers.

In May, President Michel Suleiman left office, leaving behind an empty seat after parliament failed to elect his successor. The 25 May deadline passes, but no replacement is found.

"The Lebanese missed the opportunity to elect a president 'Made In Lebanon' by May 25," explains political analyst Sami Nader.

"After this, the problem now to get a solution you need kind of a regional consensus. You need a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mainly. And this deal doesn't seem on the horizon yet."

A candidate must secure at least a two thirds majority in the 128-member parliament to become president.

Despite holding parliamentary meetings throughout the year to try and solve the issue - to this day the position remains unfilled.

In June and July the country is once again on high alert after a series of suicide bombings.

Suspects arrested in Hamra in June are believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group and are said to have been planning an attack against the Speaker of Parliament, Nabi Berri.

Days later, flames engulf part of the four-star Duroy Hotel by Beirut's corniche after a suicide bomber blows himself up during a police raid on his room.

The suicide bomber was a Saudi national. His collaborator, also Saudi. This adds to the strain between Lebanon and the Gulf states.

The boldest incursion of jihadi fighters into Lebanese territory comes in August, when militants launch an offensive on the Syrian-Lebanese border town of Arsal.

The army regains control of the area, but locals and Syrian refugees, who have already fled the neighbouring civil war, are displaced once again.

In early August it's reported that 20 soldiers and policemen have been taken hostage by the militants.

"This Arsal war showed how fragile is the situation in Lebanon. How the borders are not really controlled. And how much capabilities and support the Lebanese army need," says Nader.

On 28 August, social media starts to report that one of the captives, soldier Ali Sayid, has been beheaded.

Massive crowds attend his funeral on 3rd September in Fnaydek.

A few days later the group says it has beheaded a second soldier, 20-year-old Abbas Medlej - sparking fears for the other hostages held by the group.

"The Lebanese army in the way was victim," says Nader.

"Yes, the Lebanese army was isolated. It's the only remaining Lebanese institution. One has to keep in mind that we don't have a president, there is a void at the level of the presidency, the parliament is practically freezed, all what they have achieved was to prolong their own mandate, to extend their own mandate and the Lebanese government is really in a very fragile situation."

The country's sectarian crisis comes to a head in October when fighting between government forces and gunmen erupts in Tripoli.

The city has become a hot bed for Islamic militants with firebrand clerics like Sheikh Khaled Hoblos openly preaching in the streets.

Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch, appeals for calm.

"There is a lot of speculation today about ISIS' strength in Lebanon. But at this stage there is no indication that ISIS is going to seep through Tripoli tomorrow and control the city. Quite the contrary."

"I mean we saw that the army was actually able to beat back many of these groups and that actually many of these groups, and that although many of these groups while they may be Islamist, are not necessarily affiliated with ISIS. But almost, that sort of the issue here is, I think the main challenge is ISIS is able to frame the terms of the debate in many countries.

"And what is needed in Lebanon are pre-emptive strategies to undercut the potential implementation, or growth of ISIS movements."

The four day gun battle claims 20 lives as the army slowly regains control of Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood - though the gang leaders they're hunting escape.

After three years of accepting Syrian refugees into the country, Lebanon has had enough.

On 18 October, it's reported that officials have closed the border between the two countries, despite pressure from the UN to keep it open.

According to official numbers, more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees now live in Lebanon - representing more than 20 percent of the population.

Refugees also appear to be targeted by disgruntled Lebanese citizens.

Eleven-year-old Khaled Darwish came back to his tent to find it burned to the ground.

"When we returned, we found that the tents were all burnt and black and I found all my toys burnt. Everything was burnt. Even my bicycle was burnt. All my toys and my ball," he says.

As the year draws to a close, the soldiers and police officers held hostage by Islamic militants, are no closer to being released.

The families of the hostages continue to protest, their anger now aimed at the government who they say haven't done enough.

Four soldiers have so far been executed by their captors.

The 26 November, saw the passing of one of the country's legendary singers.

Lebanese diva Sabah, died aged 87.

Mourners pay tribute to her incredible musical talent, provocative charm and huge heart.

As relative Lina Fghali Maalouf says, "The people have lost a column from Baalbek's ancient ruins."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 2 January 2014

++16:9++

1. Various of people crowding round the site of car bomb

2. Wide of the crowd being held back by police

3. Mid of soldiers arriving at the scene

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 16 January 2014

++16:9++

4. Wide of people removing piece of cloth covering a billboard featuring image of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, words reading: (Arabic) "Time for Justice"

5. Close-up of digital clock showing number '1', counting the number of days the trial will take

6. Tilt-down from billboard to people gathered around sign

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 14 February 2005

++4:3++

7. Various of Hariri assassination blast site with burnt out cars and emergency services attempting to control flames

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 8 March 2014

++16:9++

8. Various of women marching

9. Mid of women holding posters outside the Lebanese parliament

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 6 April 2014

++16:9++

10. Wide of Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam arriving at the Grand Serail

11. High shot of Salam and relatives sitting down and surrounded by the media

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tammam Salam, Lebanese Prime Minister:

"I am sure we will be able to put matters in the right perspective taking into consideration what our people, what the Lebanese, are looking forward to."

AP Television

Tripoli, Lebanon - 3 April 2014

++16:9++

13. Pan across Syrian refugees at UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) registration centre

14. Tilt-up from Syrian refugee child Omar to his mother Bushra, who is the one millionth Syrian refugee to be registered in the region

15. Bushra and her children accompanied by UNHCR employee

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 12 November 2014

++16:9++

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Maha Yahya, Carnegie Centre for Middle Eastern Studies:

"The challenge today is waking up to the realisation that this is a very protracted conflict. It's not going to end tomorrow. It's going to take some time. We don't know how long, but there is a large number of people who are not going home soon."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 23 April 2014

++16:9++

17. Pan of lawmaker and former army commander, Michel Aoun, arriving at parliament

18. Pan of lawmaker and former Prime Minister, Fouad Saniora (right) arriving

19. Pan of presidential candidate Henry Helou (left) and lawmaker Akram Shohayeb arriving

Pool

Beirut, Lebanon - 23 April 2014

++4:3++

20. Various of lawmakers counting votes

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"The Lebanese missed the opportunity to elect a president 'Made In Lebanon' by May 25. After this, the problem now to get a solution you need kind of a regional consensus. You need a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mainly. And this deal doesn't seem in (on) the horizon yet."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 20 June 2014

++16:9++

22. Wide of police standing outside the hotel in Hamra where suspects were arrested

23. Wide shot of the area where the suspects where arrested

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 25 June 2014

++16:9++

24. Close-up of hotel room where a suicide bomber detonated his vest in the Savoy Hotel in Raouche, Beirut

25. Wide of first responders

26. Wide of tourists leaving the hotel on foot and answering questions from reporters

AP Television

Arsal, Lebanon - 6 August 2014

++16:9++

27. Wide of smoke rising in mountain area above Arsal

28. Close-up shot of smoke rising

29. Various of army tanks pulling into Arsal

30. Various of ambulances driving into Arsal

31. Wide of soldiers riding in armoured vehicles

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"This Arsal war showed how fragile is the situation in Lebanon. How the borders are not really controlled. And how much capabilities and support the Lebanese army need."

AP Television

Fnaydek, Lebanon - 3 September 2014

++16:9++

33. Various of crowd carrying the coffin containing body of Lebanese soldier Sergeant Ali Sayid, moving towards mosque, AUDIO: gun fire

34. Poster showing Sayid

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"The Lebanese army in a way was victim. Yes, the Lebanese army was isolated. It's the only remaining Lebanese institution. One has to keep in mind that we don't have a president, there is a void at the level of the presidency, the parliament is practically freezed, all what they have achieved is to prolong their own mandate, to extend their own mandate and the Lebanese government is really in a very fragile situation."

Future TV - No Access Lebanon

Tripoli, Lebanon - September 2014

++16:9++

36. Wide of people waving Islamic State flags

37. Mid of Sheikh Khaled Hoblos speaking to the crowd

AP Television

Tripoli, Lebanon - 26 October 2014

++16:9++

38. Wide of soldiers running

39. Wide shot of soldiers firing weapons

40. Various of families being evacuated

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 20 November 2014

++16:9++

41. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nadim Houry, Human Rights Watch:

"There is a lot of speculation today about ISIS' strength in Lebanon. But at this stage there is no indication that ISIS is going to seep through Tripoli tomorrow and control the city. Quite the contrary. I mean we saw that the army was actually able to beat back many of these groups and that actually many of these groups, while they may be Islamist, are not necessarily affiliated with ISIS."

AP Television

Brital, Lebanon - 10 September 2014

++16:9++

42. Various of Syrian tents burnt to the ground

43. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Khaled Darwish, 11-year-old Syrian refugee:

"When we returned, we found that the tents were all burnt and black and I found all my toys burnt. Everything was burnt. Even my bicycle was burnt. All my toys and my ball."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 15 December 2014

44. High shot of Wahda al-Sayyed, wife of kidnapped soldier Khaled Moqbel, pouring gasoline on tyres in street

45. Police trying to move al-Sayyed away, but she throws lighted paper to set tyres on fire

46. Wide of tyres burning

47. Soldier guarding the scene

48. Pan right of pictures of captured soldiers and police officers on a billboard

49. Wide of photos next to tents where relatives of the kidnapped are protesting

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 26 November 2014

++16:9++

50. Wide of memorial to mark the death of Lebanese singer Sabah

51. Close-up of photograph of Sabah

52. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Lina Fghali Maalouf, Relative of Sabah:

"The people have lost a column from Baalbek's ancient ruins."

53. Mid of friends hugging in grief

54. Pull focus of decoration

LEBANON REVIEW 2014

SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/POOL/FUTURE TV

RESTRICTIONS: MIDDLE EAST EXTRA CLIENTS ONLY/NO ACCESS

LENGTH: 7.06

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 2 January 2014

++16:9++

1. Various of people crowding round the site of car bomb

2. Wide of the crowd being held back by police

3. Mid of soldiers arriving at the scene

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 16 January 2014

++16:9++

4. Wide of people removing piece of cloth covering a billboard featuring image of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, words reading: (Arabic) "Time for Justice"

5. Close-up of digital clock showing number '1', counting the number of days the trial will take

6. Tilt-down from billboard to people gathered around sign

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 14 February 2005

++4:3++

7. Various of Hariri assassination blast site with burnt out cars and emergency services attempting to control flames

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 8 March 2014

++16:9++

8. Various of women marching

9. Mid of women holding posters outside the Lebanese parliament

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 6 April 2014

++16:9++

10. Wide of Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam arriving at the Grand Serail

11. High shot of Salam and relatives sitting down and surrounded by the media

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tammam Salam, Lebanese Prime Minister:

"I am sure we will be able to put matters in the right perspective taking into consideration what our people, what the Lebanese, are looking forward to."

AP Television

Tripoli, Lebanon - 3 April 2014

++16:9++

13. Pan across Syrian refugees at UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) registration centre

14. Tilt-up from Syrian refugee child Omar to his mother Bushra, who is the one millionth Syrian refugee to be registered in the region

15. Bushra and her children accompanied by UNHCR employee

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 12 November 2014

++16:9++

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Maha Yahya, Carnegie Centre for Middle Eastern Studies:

"The challenge today is waking up to the realisation that this is a very protracted conflict. It's not going to end tomorrow. It's going to take some time. We don't know how long, but there is a large number of people who are not going home soon."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 23 April 2014

++16:9++

17. Pan of lawmaker and former army commander, Michel Aoun, arriving at parliament

18. Pan of lawmaker and former Prime Minister, Fouad Saniora (right) arriving

19. Pan of presidential candidate Henry Helou (left) and lawmaker Akram Shohayeb arriving

Pool

Beirut, Lebanon - 23 April 2014

++4:3++

20. Various of lawmakers counting votes

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"The Lebanese missed the opportunity to elect a president 'Made In Lebanon' by May 25. After this, the problem now to get a solution you need kind of a regional consensus. You need a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mainly. And this deal doesn't seem in (on) the horizon yet."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 20 June 2014

++16:9++

22. Wide of police standing outside the hotel in Hamra where suspects were arrested

23. Wide shot of the area where the suspects where arrested

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 25 June 2014

++16:9++

24. Close-up of hotel room where a suicide bomber detonated his vest in the Savoy Hotel in Raouche, Beirut

25. Wide of first responders

26. Wide of tourists leaving the hotel on foot and answering questions from reporters

AP Television

Arsal, Lebanon - 6 August 2014

++16:9++

27. Wide of smoke rising in mountain area above Arsal

28. Close-up shot of smoke rising

29. Various of army tanks pulling into Arsal

30. Various of ambulances driving into Arsal

31. Wide of soldiers riding in armoured vehicles

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"This Arsal war showed how fragile is the situation in Lebanon. How the borders are not really controlled. And how much capabilities and support the Lebanese army need."

AP Television

Fnaydek, Lebanon - 3 September 2014

++16:9++

33. Various of crowd carrying the coffin containing body of Lebanese soldier Sergeant Ali Sayid, moving towards mosque, AUDIO: gun fire

34. Poster showing Sayid

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"The Lebanese army in a way was victim. Yes, the Lebanese army was isolated. It's the only remaining Lebanese institution. One has to keep in mind that we don't have a president, there is a void at the level of the presidency, the parliament is practically freezed, all what they have achieved is to prolong their own mandate, to extend their own mandate and the Lebanese government is really in a very fragile situation."

Future TV - No Access Lebanon

Tripoli, Lebanon - September 2014

++16:9++

36. Wide of people waving Islamic State flags

37. Mid of Sheikh Khaled Hoblos speaking to the crowd

AP Television

Tripoli, Lebanon - 26 October 2014

++16:9++

38. Wide of soldiers running

39. Wide shot of soldiers firing weapons

40. Various of families being evacuated

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 20 November 2014

++16:9++

41. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nadim Houry, Human Rights Watch:

"There is a lot of speculation today about ISIS' strength in Lebanon. But at this stage there is no indication that ISIS is going to seep through Tripoli tomorrow and control the city. Quite the contrary. I mean we saw that the army was actually able to beat back many of these groups and that actually many of these groups, while they may be Islamist, are not necessarily affiliated with ISIS."

AP Television

Brital, Lebanon - 10 September 2014

++16:9++

42. Various of Syrian tents burnt to the ground

43. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Khaled Darwish, 11-year-old Syrian refugee:

"When we returned, we found that the tents were all burnt and black and I found all my toys burnt. Everything was burnt. Even my bicycle was burnt. All my toys and my ball."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 15 December 2014

44. High shot of Wahda al-Sayyed, wife of kidnapped soldier Khaled Moqbel, pouring gasoline on tyres in street

45. Police trying to move al-Sayyed away, but she throws lighted paper to set tyres on fire

46. Wide of tyres burning

47. Soldier guarding the scene

48. Pan right of pictures of captured soldiers and police officers on a billboard

49. Wide of photos next to tents where relatives of the kidnapped are protesting

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 26 November 2014

++16:9++

50. Wide of memorial to mark the death of Lebanese singer Sabah

51. Close-up of photograph of Sabah

52. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Lina Fghali Maalouf, Relative of Sabah:

"The people have lost a column from Baalbek's ancient ruins."

53. Mid of friends hugging in grief

54. Pull focus of decoration

LEADIN:

2014 has been a tumultuous year for Lebanon, as Syria's civil war continued to spill over into the country.

From managing one million refugees, to suicide bombings and clashes between government forces and Islamic militants, the past year has been a challenging one.

STORYLINE:

January 2nd, just two days into the new year and a deadly car bomb shakes the Beirut suburb Haret Hreik - known for being a Hezbollah stronghold.

The attack kills five people, wounds dozens more and raises fears that the country is being pulled in opposite directions by sectarian tension.

January also signals the start of the long-awaited trial over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri - nine years after his death.

From The Hague, in the Netherlands, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will try five suspects, all tied to Hezbollah, for Hariri's death.

There are still many questions to answer, not least the whereabouts of the five suspects - they've not been caught and are being tried in absentia.

In February, ten months after becoming prime minister, Tammam Salam finally forms a government.

Salam's 24-member national unity Cabinet includes members of the Western-backed coalition as well as those of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its allies.

"I am sure we will be able to put matters in the right perspective taking into consideration what our people, what the Lebanese, are looking forward to," he says at the time.

Many hundreds of women and activists march to Lebanon's parliament to show their support for victims of domestic violence to mark International Women's Day on 8 March.

Several high profile cases of domestic murders hit the headlines in 2014.

This year, the first Lebanese law against domestic violence was passed, offering Lebanese women some protection from abuse.

April 3rd is something of a milestone in the country.

Three years after the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Lebanon saw the one millionth Syrian to be registered as a refugee.

Almost one in four people in Lebanon are now refugees from neighbouring Syria.

"The challenge today is waking up to the realisation that this is a very protracted conflict. It's not going to end tomorrow. It's going to take some time. We don't know how long but there is a large number of people who are not going home soon. So their needs need to be addressed very quickly before it explodes in all of our faces," says Maha Yahya, from the Carnegie Centre for Middle Eastern Studies.

The country's infrastructure - from schools and hospitals to rubbish collection - remains over burdened, with some communities now imposing restrictions on refugee numbers.

In May, President Michel Suleiman left office, leaving behind an empty seat after parliament failed to elect his successor. The 25 May deadline passes, but no replacement is found.

"The Lebanese missed the opportunity to elect a president 'Made In Lebanon' by May 25," explains political analyst Sami Nader.

"After this, the problem now to get a solution you need kind of a regional consensus. You need a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mainly. And this deal doesn't seem on the horizon yet."

A candidate must secure at least a two thirds majority in the 128-member parliament to become president.

Despite holding parliamentary meetings throughout the year to try and solve the issue - to this day the position remains unfilled.

In June and July the country is once again on high alert after a series of suicide bombings.

Suspects arrested in Hamra in June are believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group and are said to have been planning an attack against the Speaker of Parliament, Nabi Berri.

Days later, flames engulf part of the four-star Duroy Hotel by Beirut's corniche after a suicide bomber blows himself up during a police raid on his room.

The suicide bomber was a Saudi national. His collaborator, also Saudi. This adds to the strain between Lebanon and the Gulf states.

The boldest incursion of jihadi fighters into Lebanese territory comes in August, when militants launch an offensive on the Syrian-Lebanese border town of Arsal.

The army regains control of the area, but locals and Syrian refugees, who have already fled the neighbouring civil war, are displaced once again.

In early August it's reported that 20 soldiers and policemen have been taken hostage by the militants.

"This Arsal war showed how fragile is the situation in Lebanon. How the borders are not really controlled. And how much capabilities and support the Lebanese army need," says Nader.

On 28 August, social media starts to report that one of the captives, soldier Ali Sayid, has been beheaded.

Massive crowds attend his funeral on 3rd September in Fnaydek.

A few days later the group says it has beheaded a second soldier, 20-year-old Abbas Medlej - sparking fears for the other hostages held by the group.

"The Lebanese army in the way was victim," says Nader.

"Yes, the Lebanese army was isolated. It's the only remaining Lebanese institution. One has to keep in mind that we don't have a president, there is a void at the level of the presidency, the parliament is practically freezed, all what they have achieved was to prolong their own mandate, to extend their own mandate and the Lebanese government is really in a very fragile situation."

The country's sectarian crisis comes to a head in October when fighting between government forces and gunmen erupts in Tripoli.

The city has become a hot bed for Islamic militants with firebrand clerics like Sheikh Khaled Hoblos openly preaching in the streets.

Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch, appeals for calm.

"There is a lot of speculation today about ISIS' strength in Lebanon. But at this stage there is no indication that ISIS is going to seep through Tripoli tomorrow and control the city. Quite the contrary."

"I mean we saw that the army was actually able to beat back many of these groups and that actually many of these groups, and that although many of these groups while they may be Islamist, are not necessarily affiliated with ISIS. But almost, that sort of the issue here is, I think the main challenge is ISIS is able to frame the terms of the debate in many countries.

"And what is needed in Lebanon are pre-emptive strategies to undercut the potential implementation, or growth of ISIS movements."

The four day gun battle claims 20 lives as the army slowly regains control of Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood - though the gang leaders they're hunting escape.

After three years of accepting Syrian refugees into the country, Lebanon has had enough.

On 18 October, it's reported that officials have closed the border between the two countries, despite pressure from the UN to keep it open.

According to official numbers, more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees now live in Lebanon - representing more than 20 percent of the population.

Refugees also appear to be targeted by disgruntled Lebanese citizens.

Eleven-year-old Khaled Darwish came back to his tent to find it burned to the ground.

"When we returned, we found that the tents were all burnt and black and I found all my toys burnt. Everything was burnt. Even my bicycle was burnt. All my toys and my ball," he says.

As the year draws to a close, the soldiers and police officers held hostage by Islamic militants, are no closer to being released.

The families of the hostages continue to protest, their anger now aimed at the government who they say haven't done enough.

Four soldiers have so far been executed by their captors.

The 26 November, saw the passing of one of the country's legendary singers.

Lebanese diva Sabah, died aged 87.

Mourners pay tribute to her incredible musical talent, provocative charm and huge heart.

As relative Lina Fghali Maalouf says, "The people have lost a column from Baalbek's ancient ruins."

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SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot exterior United Nations building

2. Wide shot UN Security Council chambers

3. Hariri assassination investigator, Serge Brammertz, walking to Council table

4. Wide shot Council

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Serge Brammertz, head of the International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri:

"The commission has received a final report from external forensic experts. The report confirms many of the commission's own hypotheses, for example, that there was only one blast and that the Mitsubishi van was the carrier of the improvised explosive device. The expert report also supports the hypothesis that an IDX based (sic) high explosive was used. Recent forensic results also confirmed that it was likely that the person triggered the explosion from within or immediately in front of the Mitsubishi van, rather than through use of a remote controlled device."

6. Mid shot Council

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Serge Brammertz, head of the International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri:

"The commission's work on the 14 cases continues to elicit links between each case and the Rafik Hariri case. Further analysis will be done in the next reporting period to develop these links."

8. Mid shot Security Council diplomats

9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Caroline Ziade, UN Charge d'Affaires of Lebanon:

"Mr. President, the efforts of the investigation commission and the formation of the international tribunal will put a stop to the cycle of violence that Lebanon has been suffering, the most recent of which was the assassination of the martyr Minister Pierre Gemayel, which your council speedily covered in the work in the commission. It will deter anyone who dares infringe upon civil peace."

10. Mid shot Security Council diplomats

11. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Bashar Jaafari, Syrian Ambassador to the UN:

"The greatest risk facing this investigation is that some parties in our region and beyond our region are exploiting this investigation in order to reach politicised conclusions which have no relation whatsoever with the requirements of an investigation and which are not based on any proof."

12. Wide shot of Security Council chambers

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Serge Brammertz, head of the International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri:

"I have been asked several times if we intend to disclose the names of these countries. We do not intend to do so, it is so far a bi-lateral issue between the commission and those countries. If this cooperation will not improve in the near future, I will mention those countries to the Secretary General, but so far I have no intention to mention the names of those countries."

14. Wide shot UN

STORYLINE:

The head of the International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri presented to the U.N. Security Council on Monday the findings of an investigation into Hariri's 2005 assassination.

Serge Brammertz said independent forensic scientific evidence largely confirms what the commission already knew.

"The commission has received a final report from external forensic experts. The report confirms many of the commission's own hypotheses, for example, that there was only one blast and that the Mitsubishi van was the carrier of the improvised explosive device. The expert report also supports the hypothesis that an IDX based (sic) high explosive was used," he said.

Brammertz also revealed that forensic scientists found that the truck bomb which killed 22 other people besides Hariri was likely detonated "from within or immediately in front of the Mitsubishi van, rather than through use of a remote controlled device."

Brammertz added there was some evidence to show links between 14 similar bombings around the same time of the Hariri bombing.

"The commission's work on the 14 cases continues to elicit links between each case and the Rafik Hariri case. Further analysis will be done in the next reporting period to develop these links," he said.

Lebanese representatives at the Security Council say the Hariri assassination was only a symptom of recent conflict and U.N. investigations like this one will help put an end to violence in the region.

"The efforts of the investigation commission and the formation of the international tribunal will put a stop to the cycle of violence that Lebanon has been suffering, the most recent of which was the assassination of the martyr Minister Pierre Gemayel, which your council speedily covered in the work in the commission. It will deter anyone who dares infringe upon civil peace," said Lebanese Charge d'Affaires Caroline Ziade.

Speaking before the Council, Syria's U.N. ambassador Bashar Jaafari said his country was cooperating fully with investigation. In the past the United States and Lebanon have accused Syria of dragging its feet.

"The greatest risk facing this investigation is that some parties in our region and beyond our region are exploiting this investigation in order to reach politicised conclusions which have no relation whatsoever with the requirements of an investigation and which are not based on any proof," he said.

In his address to the Council, Brammertz mentioned that there were many countries not fully cooperating with the investigation.

When asked later by reporters which countries could be included in that list, Brammertz said he did not intend to reveal the names of those countries.

"It is so far a bi-lateral issue between the commission and those countries. If this cooperation will not improve in the near future, I will mention those countries to the Secretary General, but so far I have no intention to mention the names of those countries," he said.