The leading An-Nahar daily said Monday that Premier Fouad Saniora and Justice Minister Charles Rizk have obtained an "unofficial copy of the modified draft," adding that "the official copy will be handed over to the government" after the Security Council's approval.
An-Nahar also said that article three of the governing principles of the tribunal, which deals with 'Crimes against Humanity' and subsequent immunity denial on the suspects behind such crimes, has been abolished in response to a request by China and Russia.
It said that amendments were then introduced to article two which tackles the Lebanese criminal law.
"The new thing about this amendment is that any similar crime to be committed following the approval of the tribunal system will be subjected to the same laws," An-Nahar said.
U.N. Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel would hand over the final draft to Lebanon to be discussed during a cabinet session Oct. 30 for endorsement, according to An-Nahar.
It quoted government sources as saying that they expect the cabinet to approve the final draft on the formation of an international tribunal to try the suspects in Hariri's murder.
An-Nahar and As-Safir said that magistrates Ralf Riachi and Choukri Sader will have their own comments on the final draft after examining it.
Riachi and Sader traveled back and forth to the U.N.'s headquarters in New York to hold meetings on the formation of the court.
The Syrian state newspaper Tishrin has accused the United States, France and Lebanon of conspiring to frame Syria in Hariri's assassination, indicating increasing panic in Damascus as the international tribunal began to take shape.
"There is a French, American and Lebanese plot aiming at intimidating Syria and framing it in the assassinating of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri," An-Nahar on Sunday quoted Tishrin as saying.
Hariri was killed along with 22 others in a massive explosion in downtown Beirut Feb.14, 2005. The assassination led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country in April 2005 after 29 years of military presence. The Syrian allegations are based on a French book recently published which pointed to a French, American and Lebanese contrive to frame Syria in Hariri's killing, intimidate it and abort the resistance methodology in the region.(Naharnet file photo shows the site of Hariri's murder)
