KUWAIT CITY, March 7: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Sunday a report published by a UN tribunal investigating the 2005 murder of his former premier father gave hope the killers will be identified.
“The report gives us hope,” Hariri told reporters on a visit to Kuwait. “The report is an indication to the credibility of the tribunal.
“The report shows the tribunal needs more time to reach the truth, and the Lebanese government and people should wait,” he added.
The Hague-based tribunal was set up by a UN Security Council resolution in 2007 to try suspects in the murder of Rafiq Hariri, killed in a massive bomb blast on the Beirut seafront in February 2005.
In its first annual report published on Saturday, the tribunal said investigators were getting closer to identifying the suicide bomber who carried out the attack.
The report said the prosecutor had “made significant progress towards building a case which will bring perpetrators to justice.”

Prosecutors were “getting closer to identifying the suspected suicide bomber by narrowing down the individual’s geographic origin and partially reconstructing the individual’s face”, the report said.
The bombing was widely blamed on Syria although Damascus has denied any involvement. A UN commission of inquiry said it had found evidence to implicate Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services but there are no suspects in custody.
“Kuwait has always been supportive of Lebanon, especially during the Israeli assault on the country in 2006,” Al-Hariri also said.
Al-Hariri made the statement after his meeting with Kuwaiti Parliament Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi Sunday.

Expressing gratitude to Kuwait for its continuous support to Lebanon, Al-Hariri asserted, “We thank Kuwait for helping us during the most difficult times in our history.”  He revealed the main purpose of his visit is to further cement commercial, financial and business ties between the two countries.
“I have discussed with HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah the political developments in the region, including the Israeli violence.  We also tackled the challenges that both nations are currently facing, as well as ways to overcome these obstacles through better cooperation,” Al-Hariri replied when asked about his meeting with the Amir.
On his meeting with Al-Khorafi, Al-Hariri confirmed they discussed ways to strengthen ties between the parliaments of both countries in the interest of the two nations and their democratic setup.
Asked about the forms of financial aid given by Kuwait to Lebanon, Al-Hariri affirmed Kuwait supported Lebanon financially through Kuwait Arab Development Fund, which finances projects like water and electricity plants, bridges and hospitals.

Commenting on the ongoing investigations about the assassination of former Lebanese President Rafik Al-Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister said the International Court needs more time before ruling on the case.  He pointed out the assassination of his father was not only a loss for the Lebanese, but also for the whole Arab world.

Meanwhile, Al-Khorafi applauded the strong Kuwait-Lebanese ties and described his meeting with the Lebanese premier as “positive and fruitful”.