On 3rd anniversary of Hariri assassination:

Saad Hariri: Our hands stretched for dialogue; Arab summit means nothing unless electing president

Siniora: Lebanon seeks justice, security, stability, coexistence in Taif country

Administrative committee for Special Tribunal on Lebanon set up

Israeli buildup on Lebanon borders, cautious lull shrouds region

The head of the Future Bloc in the Lebanese parliament Saad Hariri hailed the massive participation of the Lebanese in rallies marking the third anniversary of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri assassination, saying they reinvigorated the spirit of the uprising for independence and reaffirmed support for coexistence, sovereignty, democracy, and the election of a new president in the face of terrorism and chaos.

On the eve of the commemoration, MP Hariri said the occasion was a referendum on sovereignty and the election of Army Commander General Michel Sleiman as President. He also paid tribute to the legacy of his late father, whom he described as a non-sectarian nationalist leader who sought independence and the country’s development. He cited the uprising that was sparked for his killing and the eventual withdrawal of Syrian troops, and said the plan to subjugate Lebanon under a regime of custodianship failed and the ongoing attempts to do so, through the opposition, will also fail.

Head of the Future Bloc reiterated calls for unity and national dialogue, as well as presidential elections that Syria continues to block. He made clear that the Syrian regime has been behind all the assassinations in Lebanon, but added justice will be served with the creation of an international tribunal to try the suspects in Premier Hariri’s killing and the other assassinations. He said Lebanon is facing a Syrian-Iranian “movie.” He told the TV show that Beirut and Tehran had enjoyed good relations, but today Lebanon is facing a campaign by Syria and Iran and “everyone wants to fight” in Lebanon, but the country is not a regional battlefield

. MP Hariri stressed that the majority in Parliament is ready to make concessions to protect Lebanese interests and not those of Syria, but pointed out that the opposition has been blocking parliamentary life and questioned their behavior if their requests for a veto in Cabinet is granted. He said the opposition has been setting conditions for an agreement, echoing Syrian positions. He reaffirmed backing for the Arab League initiative which calls for the election of General Sleiman as President, the creation of a national unity government, and a new electoral law that divides voting districts into smaller constituencies.

Asked about the assassination of Hizbollah figure Imad Moughniyeh in Damascus, Head of the Future Bloc pointed out that he had expressed his condolences to the group and made clear that the killing in the Syrian capital was a “condemnation of Damascus itself.” Regarding comments by Hizbollah officials that head of the Democratic Forum MP Walid Jumblatt is betting on a new Israeli aggression, he said the problem is that such allegations are made and that Hizbollah bets on Iran’s construction of an atomic bomb with the Syrian regime, and a consequent loss of the US in the region and American elections at the end of the year.

MP Hariri paid tribute to Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir’s steadfast defense of sovereignty, and Saudi Arabia’s backing for Lebanon. He said Syria continues to attack Arab countries that support the creation of a state in Lebanon, which Damascus opposes. He added, the Syrian regime assassinates the Lebanese but then claims it backs national conciliation.

The leaders of the March 14 ruling majority were all there but arrived at different times. The first to arrive was Democratic gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt, followed by parliament majority leader Saad Hariri who was followed by former president Amin Gemayel . The last to arrive was leader of the Lebanese Forces Dr. Samir Geagea .

Geagea told the participants "We used to say the ( Hariri International ) tribunal is coming. We now say the court came. No to your tents and threats. We won’t allow the presidential seat to be your captive. You people tell them that we will resist them until our last victory."

Gemayel said "Our gathering today sends a message to everyone that we will liberate downtown Beirut and return the Lebanese capital to its people."

Jumblatt said "March 14 Forces’ blood and the blood of the revolutionaries will nail down all nonbelievers anywhere they were - be they in their palaces, squares or caves."

Minister Naila Mouawad said "We were born free and we will die free. We won’t allow Lebanon’s destiny to be linked to the Syrian regime."

MP Bassem al-Sabaa said "Downtown Beirut’s occupation by the opposition is a crime against Lebanon."

State Department Spokesman, Sean McCormack, said it is a way to honor the sacrifice of Hariri and the other slain Lebanese democracy advocates:

"It's a day in which we should reflect upon all the sacrifices the Lebanese people have made on behalf of building Lebanese democracy, and reinforcing Lebanese sovereignty, and reinforcing the idea that Lebanon should be able to direct its own affairs free from outside and foreign interference," said Sean McCormack. "Sadly that day has not yet fully arrived for the Lebanese people."

McCormack noted that what he said was the stark juxtaposition between the Hariri rally, and the mass tribute elsewhere in Beirut for Hezbollah commander and reputed terrorist mastermind Imad Mughniyeh, killed in a car-bomb attack in Damascus.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner expressed sadness from Paris on the third anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

"On this sad anniversary of the assassination...I want to associate myself in my own name and in the name of all French people with the mourning of all the Lebanese people, as well as with those of the families and dear ones of the deceased," Kouchner said in a statement.

He praised Hariri for his role in fighting for "the stability, the unity, sovereignty and independence" of Lebanon, aims which he said remain very much on the agenda today.

The French Minister vowed that France and the international community would remain at Lebanon side in seeking to attain these objectives.

He also solemnly reiterated Frances "firm condemnation" of all attacks committed in Lebanon, especially since 2004 and he said that those responsible must be brought to justice.

"I thus praise the announcement by the Secretary General of the United Nations concerning the implementation of the steering committee of the special tribunal and the positive indications on obtaining the necessary financing for the establishment and functioning of the Tribunal in its first year," Kouchner observed.

The Special Tribunal was set up by the UN last year to investigate the Hariri killing and it could also examine the murder of politicians and journalists over the past three years.

The Secretary Generals actions are "important steps forward" and have now "confirmed the irreversibleness of the implementation of the Tribunal," Kouchner affirmed.

He also reaffirmed "the support of France for the legitimate authorities of Lebanon, and in particular to the government and to its army in their difficult mission of maintaining the stability of the country".

The Minister added that France was continuing to call for the election of a "consensus President" in Lebanon, in line with the proposals put forward by the Arab plan.

He invited "all parties, in Lebanon and outside of Lebanon, to assume their responsibilities" and do everything to end the dangerous vacuum at the head of the Lebanese State.

Hezbollah's leader threatened to strike Israel anywhere in the world in retaliation for what he said was its role in assassinating Imad Mughniyeh, a Hezbollah commander blamed by the United States and Israel for killing hundreds in bombings, kidnappings and hijackings over a quarter-century.

In a video speech broadcast to thousands of mourners in a spare but sprawling tent in southern Beirut, Hasan Nasrallah said that because Israel had struck beyond what he called the "traditional battlefield" of Lebanon and Israel, it risked a borderless war with the Shiite Muslim group. Israel has denied involvement in the car bombing Tuesday that killed the 45-year-old Mughniyeh in a tiny neighborhood of Damascus, the Syrian capital.

"You have crossed the borders," he said in the speech, which was vehement even by Nasrallah's fiery standards. "Zionists, if you want this type of open war, then let it be, and let the whole world hear: We, like all other people, have a sacred right to defend ourselves, and everything we can do to defend ourselves, we will do."

"At your service, Nasrallah!" the crowd shouted to the cadence of fists in the air.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that Nasrallah's speech was "concerning.. Quite clearly Hezbollah has a long record of carrying out violent acts, acts of terrorism around the globe," he said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said that Lebanon “is still searching for justice, security and stability, a capable and democratic state, communal living, and the republic of the Taif Accord.”

“Lebanon is still trying to strengthen its independence, and the criminals are still on the loose,” Siniora said in a speech he delivered on the third anniversary of the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.

Siniora said that the criminals agitating against Lebanon are getting more and more aggressive because they know that the tribunal to try those responsible for Hariri’s assassination will be established in the near future.

“The criminals thought that by assassinating Hariri and his companions, they would succeed in assassinating Lebanon,” Siniora said.

But he said that the Lebanese people have proven over the past three years that their dream, objectives and determination are still clear.

Siniora said that it is not a normal situation when politicians, journalists, intellectuals and religious leaders are being assassinated without any effort being made to find the murderers.

“It is not normal or acceptable for Lebanon to remain an open ground for assassinations. It is no longer acceptable that free Lebanese are not able to live in security and enjoy their political rights,” he added.

He also said that the country’s cause is for freedom, sovereignty, a civil state and the implementation of the Taif Agreement.

“This is the cause for which Rafik Hariri was assassinated. It is the cause of Lebanon and all the Lebanese,” Siniora said.

“Being free, independent and respected in our country is the primary cause that unites us,” he added.

He also said that participation in the February 14 commemoration events is important to reaffirm that the Lebanese will not be subjugated to terror and destruction.

“Let us say yes to a free, independent, sovereign, prosperous and Arab Lebanon,” Siniora said.

Lebanon's military prosecutor Judge Jean Fahd charged 79 people, including 16 troops and three army officers, in connection with the bloody riots that left seven opposition supporters dead in Beirut last month. The charges included murder, violation of military instructions, possession of unlicensed arms and causing unrest, setting rubber tires and tossing hand grenades.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has established a Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon being set up to try those responsible for political killings, particularly the February 2005 car bombing in Beirut that killed the former prime minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others.

“The Secretary-General believes that this step, along with other steps announced in December of last year – the selection of the judges, the appointment of the Prosecutor, the finalization of a headquarters agreement with the Government of the Netherlands enabling the Tribunal to be based in that country, and agreement on a building near The Hague to house the Tribunal – are decisive landmarks in the process of making the Special Tribunal a reality,” Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a statement.

The Committee, which will among other tasks provide advice and policy direction on all non-judicial aspects of the operations of the Special Tribunal and review and approve its annual budget, is composed of the body's main donors, according to the statement.

The spokesperson also announced that expected contributions to the Special Tribunal will meet the budgetary requirements for its establishment and the first twelve months of operations.

“This will assist greatly in the effort by the Secretariat to establish the Special Tribunal in a timely manner as requested by the Security Council in resolution 1757 (2007),” the spokesperson said.

“This development, as well as the others previously set out, confirms the Secretary-General's belief in the irreversibility of the establishment of the Tribunal.”

As Lebanon marks the third anniversary of the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri, Arab League chief Amr Moussa said that the country lacked Hariri's spirit of hope and the will to live and build. Moussa, whose mediation efforts to resolve Lebanon's political standoff have so far yielded few results, said the anniversary would be more effective if the Lebanese worked together towards national unity as it is the key to the country's stability.

Russia mulls contribution to the funding of the international criminal tribunal that will prosecute the killers of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri and perpetrators of the subsequent crimes, Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Sergey Pukin said. He made the statement in a press briefing following his meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Al-Salloukh. "We are following with great concern the regrettable developments in Lebanon specially the presidential standoff. "We regret the deep political and military divisions in the friendly country and hope the Lebanese political leaders would reach agreement on the new head of state as soon as possible," the ambassador pointed out. "Russia backs the Arab initiative for Lebanon and efforts of Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to solve the stalemate of Lebanon," he went on to say.

Asked about Russia's possible contribution to the funding of the international tribunal, Pukin said his country received requests on the issue and was studying them. "We support the formation of the tribunal and back its efforts to reveal the truth of the assassination of Al-Hariri who was an old friend of Russia," he pointed out.

Al-Hariri and 22 others were killed in a car bomb attack on February 14, 2005. On June 30, 2007, the United Nations Security Council approved the formation of the international tribunal to try the perpetrators of the assassination and the subsequent crimes in Lebanon under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Ahmad Ben Helli, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League for political affairs said that the Arab summit would be held in Damascus as scheduled on 29th and 30th of March. "Damascus has applied the necessary arrangements and preparations for convening the Arab summit to be held on due date," Ben Helli said in a press release following his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Damascus.

According to him, there is no link between the regional crises and convening of this summit. "The summit should be held on the basis of Arab nations' joint act".

Syrian ambassador to Cairo and the permanent representative to the Arab League Youssef Al-Ahmed said that Damascus summit will tackle all the Arabic Issues.

Al-ahmed added that the summit will be held in the same time and place as scheduled, stating that Syrian formal delegations started to visit different Arabic capitals to deliver kings, presidents and princes the invitation to participate in the summit.