Syria invites UN investigator to discuss cooperation in Hariri probe News
Syria invites UN investigator to discuss cooperation in Hariri probe

[JURIST] Syria has invited German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, head of a UN investigation [UN materials] into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri [JURIST news archive], to visit Damascus to discuss cooperation between UN investigators and the Syrian committee investigating Hariri's murder [JURIST report], Syrian state media reported Wednesday. Security officials from both Syria and Lebanon were implicated in Mehlis' interim report [text], released last month, and the UN Security Council subsequently passed a resolution [text] calling for Syria's cooperation with the UN committee. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [BBC profile] has assured him that Syria will cooperate with the UN probe [UN News report]. Syria is currently considering a UN request to interview six officials [JURIST report] in connection with the murder investigation. Reuters has more.

5:15 PM ET – Syria said Wednesday that it is questioning the six officials that UN investigators have asked to interview. Syria has imposed a travel ban on the officials, preventing them from going to Lebanon to meet with Mehlis and his team. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.