Just over four years after former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others were killed in a terrorist attack in Beirut, the international tribunal set up to try the perpetrators began its work today, marking what Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deemed a historic step in the search for justice.

The international tribunal being set up to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon, particularly the 2005 attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, has moved into its start-up phase, according to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Senior officials from the United Nations courts set up to try those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the atrocities committed during the Balkan wars today appealed for bolstered cooperation from Member States to apprehend perpetrators of these horrendous crimes and bring them to justice.

Senior officials from United Nations war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia today called for efforts to capture a number of infamous fugitives known to be hiding from justice in different countries.