U.N. prosecutor pledges to pursue Hariri case to end

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The future prosecutor in a U.N. court that hopes to try the murderers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri pledged on Friday to do everything to "eventually" bring those guilty to justice.

In a statement to mark the opening on Sunday of the court near The Hague in the Netherlands, Daniel Bellemare said he would pursue a "principled approach based solely on facts and evidence" and would not be swayed by political considerations.

Bellemare, a Canadian who has been leading a Beirut-based investigation of Hariri's February 14, 2005, killing and will now become the court prosecutor, declared that the tribunal "is not after revenge; it is after justice."

Hariri and 22 others were killed in a suicide truck bombing in Beirut that anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians, including his son Saad al-Hariri, have blamed on neighbouring Syria.

Syria denies the charges but the killing sparked a worldwide outcry that forced it to end a 29-year military presence in Lebanon. Investigators have yet to publicly name any suspects.

"We will not be deterred by the obstacles or the size of the challenge," Bellemare said in the statement issued at the United Nations. "We are persistent. We will go wherever the evidence leads us. We will leave no stone unturned."

"I want to reassure everybody that my team and I will do everything that is humanly and legally possible to ensure that the truth emerges and that those responsible for the crimes that fall within our jurisdiction are eventually brought to justice," he added.

Bellemare has said the opening of the court does not mean legal proceedings will start immediately, and that investigations will continue.

In his statement he gave no new information on the state of the inquiry, but said his team would continue to maintain a field office in Beirut that serves as a base for investigators who would make regular visits to Lebanon.

(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; editing by Mohammad Zargham)