Ban Presents Replacements for Bellemare to Lebanese Govt.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently presented to the Lebanese government the names of three possible replacements for outgoing Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

A western diplomatic source revealed that Ban had sent a letter to the government with two or three replacements.

The diplomat did not reveal the names or nationalities of these judges.

Consultations are ongoing over finding Bellemare’s replacement since his announcement that he would be leaving his post for health reasons.

His tenure ends in February.

Earlier this week, Ban had approved the extension of the STL mandate for three years.

Bellemare had also issued a farewell letter to the Lebanese people, stressing that he did his job “objectively” and noting that “historic days lie ahead for justice and the People of Lebanon.”

Ban had assigned him as in November 2007 as the commissioner for the U.N. International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) into the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, replacing Serge Brammertz of Belgium.

At the same time, the U.N. chief designated Bellemare as the prosecutor of the STL, an appointment he took up on March 1, 2009.