Hawach dad’s long wait to see children: [2 All-round First Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 27 Feb 2007: 5.
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Chris Jurd, the lawyer for Mr Hawach’s family in Australia, said the custody battle, which stretches from Canada to Lebanon via Australia, had developed into a legal quagmire.
The meeting aimed to sort out unresolved legal issues surrounding the case. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Mrs Hawach by Lebanese authorities, while the Canadian courts have issued a warrant for child abduction against Mr Hawach.
Melissa Hawach, who arranged for her abducted children to be snatched back from Mr Hawach in Lebanon late last year, told News Limited newspapers she wanted to help her husband fight abduction charges and would never deny him a relationship with Hannah, 6, and Cedar, 3.
But Chris Jurd, the lawyer for Mr Hawach’s family in Australia, said the custody battle, which stretches from Canada to Lebanon via Australia, had developed into a legal quagmire.
He held a meeting with the extended family in Sydney last night and said despite the mother’s stated intentions, Mr Hawach was unlikely to see his children for many years.
The family remain distressed by the case and concerned for the welfare of the children, whom they have not seen since they left Australia more than eight months ago.
The meeting aimed to sort out unresolved legal issues surrounding the case. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Mrs Hawach by Lebanese authorities, while the Canadian courts have issued a warrant for child abduction against Mr Hawach.
Mr Jurd questioned how a Canadian court could issue a warrant for child abduction when the children were legally with their father on holidays in Australia at the time.
“The children were `abducted’ from Australia, not from Canada, but the Hague convention states that the children must go back to their country of origin, which happens to be Australia,” he said. “This is fertile ground for legal minds.”
In December, The Weekend Australian first revealed the dramatic raid by mercenaries to reunite Hannah and Cedar — taken to Lebanon by their father — with their mother.
After weeks of hiding and legal wrangling, all three were spirited out of Lebanon through Syria and Jordan and are now in Canada.
Two of the men involved in the raid, New Zealander David Pemberton and Australian Brian Corrigan, have been in a Beirut prison since December 21 on child abduction charges.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said consular officials had made numerous visits to Mr Corrigan, 38.
Mrs Hawach, who is filing for divorce, said she would fight for the pair’s release from prison.
Abstract
Chris Jurd, the lawyer for Mr Hawach’s family in Australia, said the custody battle, which stretches from Canada to Lebanon via Australia, had developed into a legal quagmire.
The meeting aimed to sort out unresolved legal issues surrounding the case. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Mrs Hawach by Lebanese authorities, while the Canadian courts have issued a warrant for child abduction against Mr Hawach.
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Melissa Hawach, who arranged for her abducted children to be snatched back from Mr Hawach in Lebanon late last year, told News Limited newspapers she wanted to help her husband fight abduction charges and would never deny him a relationship with Hannah, 6, and Cedar, 3.
But Chris Jurd, the lawyer for Mr Hawach’s family in Australia, said the custody battle, which stretches from Canada to Lebanon via Australia, had developed into a legal quagmire.
He held a meeting with the extended family in Sydney last night and said despite the mother’s stated intentions, Mr Hawach was unlikely to see his children for many years.
The family remain distressed by the case and concerned for the welfare of the children, whom they have not seen since they left Australia more than eight months ago.
The meeting aimed to sort out unresolved legal issues surrounding the case. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Mrs Hawach by Lebanese authorities, while the Canadian courts have issued a warrant for child abduction against Mr Hawach.
Mr Jurd questioned how a Canadian court could issue a warrant for child abduction when the children were legally with their father on holidays in Australia at the time.
“The children were `abducted’ from Australia, not from Canada, but the Hague convention states that the children must go back to their country of origin, which happens to be Australia,” he said. “This is fertile ground for legal minds.”
In December, The Weekend Australian first revealed the dramatic raid by mercenaries to reunite Hannah and Cedar — taken to Lebanon by their father — with their mother.
After weeks of hiding and legal wrangling, all three were spirited out of Lebanon through Syria and Jordan and are now in Canada.
Two of the men involved in the raid, New Zealander David Pemberton and Australian Brian Corrigan, have been in a Beirut prison since December 21 on child abduction charges.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said consular officials had made numerous visits to Mr Corrigan, 38.
Mrs Hawach, who is filing for divorce, said she would fight for the pair’s release from prison.