Damascus, February 21: French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Saturday condemned the assassination in Dubai of Hamas commander Mahmud al-Mabhuh, saying murder should never be part of diplomacy.
“Murder is not the way one should conduct international relations,” Fillon said, when asked about the hit widely blamed on Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
“I don’t know all the ins and outs of the affair in Dubai. I hope that light will be shed on who did this and who did that in this murder,” Fillon said.
“France condemns this murder,” he told a press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammed Naji Otri, whose government hosts exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and hosted Mabhuh before his murder.
“All murders, whoever is behind them and whoever orders them, are to be condemned.
“Like the British and like the Germans, we have asked for explanations from the Israeli authorities since a French passport has been used in this operation,” he added, referring to the suspected use of forged passports bearing the names of joint Israeli-European citizens.
“We want to know the truth.”
Dubai police chief Dhahi Khalfan said in a report on Saturday that his force has evidence incriminating the Mossad in the killing of the Hamas commander last month.
“Among the new evidence available to Dubai police which incriminates the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, and confirms its involvement in the murder … are telephone communications between the culprits who have been detected,” Khalfan said in the newspaper Al-Bayan.
“Dubai police also have reliable information that some perpetrators bought their tickets in other countries using credit cards bearing the same identity revealed” previously by the emirate, he added.
—Agencies