THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL ON THURSDAY EXTENDED FOR 12 MONTHS THE COMMISSION INVESTIGATING THE MURDER OF FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER RAFIK HARIRI AT THE REQUEST OF THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT, DPA REPORTED. THE NEW MANDATE WILL RUN OUT ON JUNE 15, 2007, THE COUNCIL SAID. THE TOP UN INVESTIGATOR, SERGE BRAMMERTZ, TOLD THE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY THAT "CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS" HAD BEEN MADE SINCE JANUARY, WHEN HE ASSUMED THE POST, TO FIND OUT THE PERPETRATORS OF THE KILLING OF HARIRI IN BEIRUT ON FEBRUARY 14, 2005, AND 22 OTHER PEOPLE. BEIRUT AND BRAMMERTZ ALL AGREED THAT MORE TIME IS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE PROBE OF HARIRI MURDER AND THAT OF 14 OTHER LEBANESE POLITICIANS AND JOURNALISTS WHO HAD SPOKEN AGAINST SYRIAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN LEBANON, DPA REPORTED. BRAMMERTZ SAID THERE WAS A "POTENTIAL" LINK AMONG THE MURDERS, REQUIRING A SYSTEMATIC PROBE OF EACH ONE TO FIND THE PERPETRATORS. "IN LIGHT OF THE POTENTIAL LINKAGE BETWEEN THE HARIRI INVESTIGATION AND THE 14 OTHER CASES, THE COMMISSION (OF INQUIRY) BELIEVES THAT A MUCH MORE CONCERNED AND ROBUST EFFORT IS NEEDED TO MOVE THESE CASES FORWARD," BRAMMERTZ TOLD THE COUNCIL. BRAMMERTZ REPLACED GERMAN PROSECUTOR DETLEV MEHLIS, WHO STARTED THE INVESTIGATION IN APRIL 2005 AND RETURNED TO BERLIN IN DECEMBER.
