LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands — The president of a United Nations-backed court investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri named a panel of five judges Thursday to begin preparations for a trial, with or without the suspects. The announcement by President Antonio Cassese is another step toward a landmark terror trial at the Special Court for Lebanon, based near The Hague. The court said in a statement that the judges will meet to discuss issues including holding an arraignment should one of the indicted suspects be arrested and holding a trial in absentia if no suspect is detained. In July, the court unsealed an indictment against four members of the Hezbollah Shiite militant group, charging them with involvement in the truck bombing that killed Hariri. Cassese named Robert Roth of Switzerland as presiding judge, Micheline Braidi of Lebanon and David Re of Australia as regular judges, along with Janet Nosworthy of Jamaica and Walid Akoum of Lebanon as alternates. The two alternate judges sit in on all proceedings but do not vote during deliberations. Alternate judges can act as a replacement if a regular judge has to drop out of the case. Hezbollah has denied involvement in the assassination and refuses to hand over the suspects, setting up the likelihood of a trial in absentia. Tribunal spokesman Marten Youssef said it was not yet clear when the judges would sit for the first time or if their meetings would be held in public.
