The Beirut office of the head of international investigation commission Daniel Bellemare stressed Monday on secrecy and objectivity in the investigation looking into the assassination of former Prime Minster Rafic Hariri in February 2005, local Naharnet website reported.
The statement came after a report by the German weekly Der Spiegel Saturday said Hezbollah, not Syria, was behind the assassination of Hariri and accused the group of planning and carrying out the operation, Xinhua reported.
"The prosecutor had been and will continue to attach great importance to the support of integrity of the investigation, particularly secrecy of the probe," Bellemare's office statement said, stressing on "evidence-driven, objective, neutral and impartial work."
A spokeswoman for the tribunal prosecutor, refused Saturday to comment on Spiegel's report, but said "we don't know where they are getting the story from. The office of the prosecutor does not comment on any issue related to operational aspects of the investigation."
The Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah, however, rejected Sunday the weekly's report that a UN probe found the group was behind the 2005 murder of Hariri, saying that the aim is to influence upcoming Lebanese general elections on June 7.
"This is a pure fabrication aimed at influencing the election campaign, and an attempt to deflect attention from the uncovered Israeli-linked spying networks," Hezbollah statement said.
Since April, Lebanese security arrested over 20 suspects who are charged with working for the Israeli secret service Mossad, and have been collecting data on Hezbollah officials and establishments.
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said Sunday that Spiegel's report was nothing but a new attempt "to sow sedition among Lebanese."
This is a media campaign which is stamped "made in Israel," Berri said.
Meanwhile, Lebanese foreign minister Fawzi Sallouk also rejected Sunday the report as "totally false," stressing that UN officials have not questioned any Hezbollah members as part of their investigation.
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman called Sunday for an international arrest warrant against Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah, and for his "arrest by force," after the Spiegel report linked his group to Hariri's assassination.
Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day devastating war in 2006, the Shiite group vowed to keep their arms as long as Israel posses a threat in the region.
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