Beirut - The Head of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission and the Prosecutor Designate of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Danielle Bellemare, vowed Friday to see justice is done in the case of murdered former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, as the UN's investigative work in Lebanon comes to an end.

"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," Bellemare said in an open letter distributed in Beirut.

The UN official said that on February 28, 2009, the mandate of the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission will come to an end after almost four years of intensive work, to reveal the culprits behind the assassination of premier Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is due to officially open in the Hague on March 1st.

He assured the Lebanese people that his court will not be pressured in any way.

"The Office of the Prosecutor will not be influenced by any political consideration. Justice can not and should not be used as a political tool," Bellemare said.

"The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is not after revenge: it is after justice ... justice requires no less. Dignity is the hallmark of a credible and humane justice process," Bellemare said.

Bellemare is scheduled to leave for The Hague on Friday. He will officially launch the tribunal on March 1.

The formation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was authorized by the UN Security Council in its resolution 1757 in May 2007.

The tribunal will have 11 judges, including four from Lebanon. Canadian Daniel Bellemare, who currently heads the UN panel probing the Hariri assassination, will become the special tribunal's prosecutor.

Hariri's assassination was widely blamed on Syria and its Lebanese allies. The assassination raised an international and local outcry, which led Damacsus to end its
30-year military presence in Lebanon two months after the killing of Hariri. (dpa)