Hariri Court spokeswoman: "Every piece of information is going to be thoroughly assessed ..."

"EVERY piece of information" registered will be assessed. You hear that Ulrike Putz & Co.? Now get behind your keyboard and start fantasizing!

AP, here

A U.N.-backed tribunal set up to investigate and prosecute the assassins of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri opened a secure Web site Thursday to receive confidential tips and intelligence from informants who may fear for their lives.

The Web site in Arabic, English and French is intended to provide a safe way for people to contact the court, which is based in the Netherlands, thousands of miles (kilometers) from the crime scene.

It is aimed at "those who might fear for their safety and security and might need assurances that they can contact us without their identity being exposed and their safety being jeopardized as a consequence," said prosecution spokeswoman Radhia Achouri.

The site includes encryption and other security measures.

Achouri said launching the site is not an indication that the court's investigations have hit a dead end. The tribunal has no suspects in custody and has issued no indictments since it opened its doors in March.

"The investigation is ongoing; it's making progress," she said.

Hariri was killed Feb. 14, 2005, along with 22 others in a massive truck bombing on a Beirut street. His supporters blame Syria for the killing, a charge Damascus denies.

In late April, the tribunal ordered the release of four pro-Syrian generals who had been held for nearly four years as suspect in Hariri's assassination. Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to justify their continued detention....

Information gathered through the site will be used in investigations only if it is deemed credible.

"Every piece of information is going to be thoroughly assessed and some will even not be assessed because they look so ludicrous," said Achouri.