NNA - The Pre-Trial Judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon today issued an order setting 13 January 2014 as a new tentative date for the start of the trial in the Ayyash et al. case., a press release by STL media advisory indicated on Friday.



The rules of the Tribunal require the Pre-Trial Judge, Daniel Fransen, to set a tentative date for the trial, which could change based on judicial developments.



The next phase requires the Pre-Trial Judge to refer the case to the Trial Chamber judges, who set the final date for the trial.



Earlier this year, the Pre-Trial Judge postponed the tentative trial date concluding that the parties were not ready for trial due to a number of reasons including lack of adequate time for disclosure of material to the defence counsel. He indicated in his decision that most of these issues have since been addressed and a new provisional date for the trial can now be set.



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