Ain-Al-Yaqeen - February 18, 2005

		February 18, 2005

LEBANON SHOCKED BY THE ASSASSINATION OF PRIME MINISTER RAFIQ AL-HARIRI.
COMPREHENSIVE LEBANESE, ARAB AND INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION.
THE SAUDI COUNCIL OF MINISTERS CHAIRED BY THE CROWN PRINCE CONDEMNS THE CRIME AND DENOUNCES THE EXPLOSION.
PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL: SAUDI ARABIA HAS LOST A DEAR FRIEND.
LEBANON IN THREE DAYS MOURNING AND CALLS FOR BRINGING THE PERPETRATORS TO JUSTICE.

A massive bomb tore through former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's motorcade, assassinating the billionaire businessman who helped rebuild his country after decades of civil war but resigned last October.

At least 12 other people were killed and 100 wounded, including a former economy minister.

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the terrorist attack. "The Kingdom denounces the explosion that occurred in the Lebanese capital and led to the killing of Hariri and a number of his escorts," the Saudi Cabinet said. The weekly Cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Abdullah extended the Kingdom's condolences to Hariri's family and the Lebanese people.

"The Cabinet voices the Kingdom's total rejection of such terrorist activities that target innocent people and cause chaos and destruction," the Saudi Press Agency said quoting Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani.

The Lebanese National News Agency, quoting a statement from American University Hospital, said Hariri was pronounced dead on arrival, his body mutilated.

Some 300 kilos of TNT explosives were used in the bombing, security officials said. They did not say whether the explosives were placed in a vehicle or on the side of the street.

Hariri was known to travel in a convoy of bullet proof cars that were equipped with systems to thwart the remote-controlled detonation of explosives. But the explosion at 12:55 p.m. (1055 GMT) was so powerful that Hariri's motorcade was left a burning wreck.

The explosion blew a 10-meter-wide crater in the street, set at least 20 cars on fire, and scarred the front of the landmark Phoenicia Hotel, where windows shattered and debris littered the balconies.

Bystanders and ambulance workers made crude stretchers to carry the wounded to hospital.

Heavily armed security forces cordoned off the area with yellow tape as rescue workers and investigators combed the scene apparently looking for casualties or clues to what caused the huge explosion.

The blast was so huge that it blew out windows more than one kilometres away ripped apart the motorcade of Mercedes vehicles like toys and engulfed the car Hariri was driving in fierce flames.

Black, acrid smoke billowed against a pristine blue sky from the broken facade of Beirut's legendary St. George Hotel. Young men wailed and clawed at debris to help rescue workers reach what one witness said were five bodies trapped underneath. "Everything around us collapsed," a worker at the site said. "It was as if an earthquake hit the area."

There were no credible claims of responsibility. Lebanon's Supreme Council for Defense instructed the army and internal security forces "to take all necessary measures to control the security situation." The council, which groups the president, Cabinet ministers and military officials, declared three days of national mourning.

President Emile Lahoud, issued a statement saying the killing was "a dark point in our national history." He promised the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

Hariri's supporters quickly took to the streets, chanting his praises outside the American University Hospital where he was declared dead. In his hometown of Sidon, supporters blocked roads and burned tires.

Foremost among the wounded was former Economy Minister Bassel Fleihan, a member of Parliament in Hariri's bloc, who was admitted to the intensive care unit of the American University Hospital, said another pro-Hariri legislator, Atef Majdalani. Hariri's own Future TV reported that Fleihan was in critical condition and the hospital was preparing to transfer him abroad.

Lebanese voiced fears of a return to the sectarian killings which scarred the country for 15 years after a huge bomb blast killed their five-times premier Rafiq Hariri and brought scenes of devastation to the capital.

An estimated 350 kilogrammes of high explosive ripped through Hariri's motorcade, leaving a trail of carnage along Beirut's busy seafront reminiscent of the 1975-90 civil war.

In a country where memories of the devastation wrought by the war are all too vivid, businesses rapidly shut up shop after the lunchtime blast.

Seafront hotels near the bomb site like the Phoenicia Intercontinental rapidly began emptying as foreign guests headed for the airport with their luggage.

"Hariri is dead, the country's future is now unsure," said one shopkeeper in the Hamra central business district as he swept away the shattered glass from his shop front.

At Beirut's American University Hospital, where the 10 dead and 100 wounded were taken, large crowds gathered to vent their grief and anger, which some took out on press photographers.

Another mourner recalled the former premier's role in spearheading reconciliation and reconstruction during his five terms of office between 1992 and 2004.

"Hariri, the man who brought us peace, the man who rebuilt Lebanon is dead," he shouted, beating his chest in grief.

In the former prime minister's hometown of Sidon, south of the capital, hundreds of residents took to the streets, setting up roadblocks of burning tyres on the main coastal highway.

Hundreds of tearful mourners also converged on Hariri's Beirut family home.

The former premier's family put out a statement calling on his supporters to remain calm after the death of a man they described as a "martyr for national unity."

Christian former minister Boutros Harb, now an opposition MP, said Hariri's death "leaves Lebanon at a crossroads and opens up an era of uncertainty."

The spiritual leader of Shiite hardliners, Seyyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, called for "unity to face up to this hateful crime in an explosive regional context which threatens to destroy Lebanon politically and economically."

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud convened an emergency meeting of security chiefs to discuss what he described as the "fallout from the crime which cost the life of Rafiq Hariri", official media said.

Burning bodies and blazing cars turned the normally chic seafront of Beirut into a scene of devastation after the huge explosion killed former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and at least nine other people.

Collapsed walls, chunks of concrete and a vast crater in the road marked the immediate site of the blast, while around a dozen flaming vehicles and debris scattered over a wide area, fronted by luxury hotels and banks, attested to its lethal force.

Lebanese television said they believed a car bomb was responsible for the blast, which left a trail of carnage not seen since the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.

As black smoke and the glare of flames alternately shrouded and lit up the area, crowds caught up in their lunchtime break mixed with green-bereted security forces in khaki camouflage dress and the fireman still battling to put out intense flames.

One man, his head and clothing ablaze, struggled desperately to clamber out of the window of his vehicle, finally falling helplessly to the ground, amid his own flames and those of the vehicle.

Another man standing nearby rushed to try to help but was driven back by the heat, before going again to beat at the flames with his jacket and drag the victim away. It was impossible to discern whether the motorist was by then alive or dead.

Flashing red lights on ambulances added their eerie glow to the scene, which was visited by Prime Minister Omar Karameh and members of parliament who broke off their session on hearing the news.

At least nine people have been reported killed along with Hariri, including two of his former ministers, and about one hundred people wounded.

Ambulances taking the wounded to hospital had to thread their way, sirens blaring, through chunks of concrete blown out of walls, and over shards of glass covering hundreds of yards (metres) as the 1 pm (1100 GMT) shook Beirut.

Amid the chaos, men in suits and ties -- possibly MPs or local businessmen from the banks -- could be seen shaking their heads in horror at the scene.

The higher council for defense in Lebanon asked after convening an emergency meeting held by the Lebanese President Emile Lahoud to authorize the army in coordination with various other Lebanese security forces to take all measures to control the security situation in the country, following the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

The council proposed to the government announcing general mourning in the country for three days and holding a national funeral for the late prime minister.

In a press conference held in Beirut, the Lebanese minister of information warned the Lebanese "against being dragged to a conspiracy hatched against their country." He stressed that the Lebanese government is trying to avert flaring conflicts in the region, noting that attacks recently took place in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The assassination operation, the most violent in Lebanon since the end of the civil war in Lebanon in 1990, bewildered and shocked the Lebanese public amid fears that Lebanon will return back to the atmospheres of the civil war once again.

For his part, the former Lebanese minister Joseph al-Hashem said that Hariri's assassination will not only affect Lebanon, rather the Arab arena and the world as a whole, adding that the Lebanese people know who is behind these operations and that there is no fear on the unity of the Lebanese rank.

The Muslim clergy Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah called on all Lebanese in a statement for maintaining unity and solidarity in this grave phase.

The Hariri family eulogized him to the Lebanese people as "the martyr of national unity" in a statement in which his supporters were called upon to resort to calmness.

Hariri (60 year old) presided over the government in Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and then from 2000 to October 2004 when he resigned and moved to the lines of the opposition.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud condemned the killing of five-times prime minister Rafiq Hariri as an attack on the country's stability and said he had died a "martyr for a united Lebanon."

Lahoud was speaking after convening the crisis meeting of security chiefs to discuss the fallout from the huge central Beirut bombing.

"The cowardly attack carried out by criminals shows the depths of the hatred that they have for this country... and is aimed at destroying its peace and stability," Lahoud said in a statement after the meeting.

"This crime will not halt the peace process that Lebanon has chosen to follow. Those responsible will be tried and given the punishment that their crime deserves."

Lahoud ordered three days of official mourning during which all public and private institutions will be expected to close.

He also ordered that Hariri be given a state funeral as a "national martyr" and instructed the army and security services to make the necessary arrangements in coordination with the former premier's family.

Middle East leaders expressed concern for Lebanon's stability after five-time premier Rafiq Hariri was killed. The Saudi cabinet sent "the kingdom's heartfelt condolences" and stressed its "total rejection of terrorist acts against innocents that seek to plant chaos and destruction".

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said that: "For the kingdom and for myself personally, Rafiq Hariri was a dear friend".

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad led condemnation of the killing, which brought back scenes reminiscent of the 1975-1990 civil war, and voiced concern about the repercussions for a country where Damascus retains 14,000 troops.

"The Syrian government and people stand alongside brotherly Lebanon in this dangerous situation and convey our sincerest condolences to the family of Mr Hariri and the families of the other victims," the SANA news agency said.

The Syrian president called for the Lebanese people to stand united following the attack, in which another nine people, including at least one of Hariri's bodyguards, also lost their lives.

"We urge the people and government of Lebanon to be vigilant in the face of the plots of their enemies and to maintain the security and stability of their country," a foreign ministry spokesman told student news agency ISNA.

Egypt mourned former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who was killed in Beirut in a car explosion that targeted his motorcade.

A statement issued by the Egyptian Presidency described the murder as a criminal act.

Egypt regrets the assassination of Hariri and some of his entourage, according to the statement.

Egypt hopes that such an obnoxious crime would not undermine Lebanon's stability and security and would not sap its national unity added the Presidential statement.

President Hosni Mubarak is condoling, on his part and on behalf of the Egyptian people, the family of Hariri and the Lebanese people at large, read the statement.

They pray God to preserve Lebanon's security and stability at this critical stage, added the statement. Jordan's King Abdullah II telephoned President Emile Lahoud to offer Amman's support following the killing of a "statesman who worked to establish a modern Lebanon and a national economy," said a statement.

In Amman, the Jordanian government also deplored the assassination of Hariri, deeming the attack a terrorist crime that will heighten tension in Lebanon and the region.

Official Spokesman Asma Khedr, in a statement, noted that Jordan was condemning all forms of terror and violence.

She urged the Lebanese people to undertake their responsibility at this critical stage of Lebanon's history and join hands with their leadership in the face of the current challenges besetting their country.

In Rabat King Mohammed VI of Morocco strongly condemned the killing of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri.

In condolences messages to Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and to the family of the victim, the monarch described Hariri's assassination as an "odious crime" and a "great loss" for the Lebanese people.

Hariri, the royal message said, was a "skilled statesman, a figure strongly committed to his country's interest and had largely contributed to its reconstruction, its development and its progress."

The monarch also said that morocco has lost in the person of Mr. Hariri a "great friend who endeavoured for the consolidation of brotherly, exemplary and fruitful relations between the two brotherly countries."

The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation also condemned this killing whose authors, it said, were aiming "the unity, the security and the stability of Lebanon."

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said the "dreadful crime" was a blow to the whole Arab world.

"The Palestinian people and their leaders offer their sincere condolences to the people of Lebanon, our friends and brothers, over this enormous loss not only for Lebanon but the whole Arab nation," an official statement said.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina described the deadly blast as "a crime against the Lebanese people and a blow to the stability of Lebanon, a country for whom we have a lot of time and respect."

In Iraq, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi denounced the "cowardly act at the hands of terrorists as an assault on the unity and freedom of your (Lebanon's) people".

Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi expressed his heartfelt sorrow over the assassination of Hariri.

He said that Hariri was one of the cornerstones of the new Lebanon.

Kuwait condemned the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in an explosion in Beirut and expressed support for Lebanon against "such terror attacks."

"The State of Kuwait strongly condemns the large explosion in Beirut that killed former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and a number of people," Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah said.

"Kuwait stands by and supports all measures taken by Lebanon to confront such terror attacks and safeguard the country's security," Sheikh Sabah said in a cable of condolences sent to his Lebanese counterpart Omar Karameh.

The Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemned the "heinous" assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut.

Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa sent a condolence cable to his Lebanese counterpart Omar Karami. Parliament chairman Khalifa Al Dhahrani also sent a similar cable to his Lebanese counterpart Nabih Berri.

Information Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar said Bahrain condemns this act of terror which seeks to undermine Lebanon's security and sap its stability.

He also extended Bahrain's condolences to Lebanese government, people and Hariri's family.

Yemen has condemned the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, calling it a heinous crime.

A government spokesman said Yemen's government and people consider it a criminal act that targets the stability and national unity of Lebanon as a whole. "The Government of Yemen condoles all the people of Lebanon and urges them to stay vigilant in the face of conspiracies against their stability," he said.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh sent condolences to Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on the assassination.

In a cable sent to Lahoud, Saleh called the assassination a spectacular terrorist act that not only killed Hariri and his bodyguards, but implied that the national unity and stability of Lebanon is being targeted by criminals.

President Saleh also expressed his great sympathy for the family of Hariri and the families of the others killed in the blast, as well as the people of Lebanon in general.

Speaker of the Parliament Sheikh Abdullah Ibn Hussein Al-Ahmar said that Israel is only one to benefit from the assassination.

In Tunisia President Zein Al Abidine Ben Ali condemned the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and offered the countries condolences for the demise of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

In Algeria Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz Belkhadem condemned the criminal act of assassination that targets the stability of Lebanon and the region.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said he was worried about the implications for Lebanon, whose emergence from the devastation of 15 years of civil war was largely led by Hariri.

"The probabilities are serious and we beseech God to save Lebanon from this dangerous terrorist act and its repercussions," Moussa said.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa condemned as a "terrorist act" the huge explosion that killed Lebanese former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and expressed fears about the political fallout. "The probabilities are serious and we beseech God to save Lebanon from this dangerous terrorist act and its repercussions," Moussa said.

"I hope that we will all contribute to maintaining peace and security in Lebanon.

"The evidence is very serious and will have a significant fallout because of his (Hariri's) great value to Lebanon and the Arab world," Moussa said.

"We hope that his soul will rest in peace and that God will save Lebanon from this massive sedition. "Those who killed Hariri have done a very grave wrong to us all."

Organisation of the Islamic Conference chief, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, advised the Lebanese "to opt for wisdom, patience and self-restraint... and to respond to this crisis with further cohesion and unity".

US President George W. Bush's administration, condemned the "brutal attack" that killed Hariri and at least nine other people, and issued the following statement:

The President was "shocked and angered to learn of the terrorist attack in Beirut today that murdered former Prime Minister Hariri and killed and injured several others.

Mr. Hariri was a fervent supporter of Lebanese independence and worked tirelessly to rebuild a free, independent and prosperous Lebanon following its brutal civil war and despite its continued foreign occupation. His murder is an attempt to stifle these efforts to build an independent, sovereign Lebanon, free of foreign domination.

The people of Lebanon deserve the freedom to choose their leaders free of intimidation, terror and foreign occupation, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559.

The United States will consult with other governments in the region and on the Security Council today, about measures that can be taken to punish those responsible for this terrorist attack, to end the use of violence and intimidation against the Lebanese people, and to restore Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and democracy by freeing it from foreign occupation."

France called for an international inquiry into a deadly blast in Beirut that claimed the life of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, President Jacques Chirac's office said in a statement.

"France strongly condemns this crime. It asks that an international inquiry be launched without delay to determine the circumstances of this tragedy and who is responsible," Chirac's office said.

"France, like the entire international community, will closely follow the unfolding of this situation," it added.

"France pays tribute to the man who personified the unshakeable willingness to pursue independence, freedom and democracy in Lebanon," the statement said, adding that Chirac sent his condolences to Hariri's family.

Hariri had a personal friendship with Chirac and often travelled to the French capital where he owns a multi-million-dollar home in central Paris.

Russia, meanwhile, said Hariri was a great man who "worked hard to boost Arab-Russian relations."

The Foreign Ministry said the perpetrators wanted to destabilise Lebanon and torpedo peace efforts.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana hailed Hariri as "a man of peace and a great friend" who had been able to "put an end to years of war in Lebanon and rebuild the country".

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana condemned as "despicable" the slaying Monday in an explosion in Beirut of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafic Hariri.

"Rafic Hariri was assassinated in despicable manner," Solana said, hailing the former prime minister as "a man of peace and a great friend" who had been able to "put an end to years of war in Lebanon and rebuild the country."

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called Hariri a "great statesman", saying he had "worked hard to strengthen relations between Pakistan and Lebanon."

"The people of Pakistan condole with the people and government of Lebanon as well as the family of Rafiq Hariri over this tragic and irreparable loss," Musharraf said in a statement.

"Hariri was a great friend of Pakistan. Over the years, he had worked hard to strengthen relations between Pakistan and Lebanon."

Musharraf "condemned the terrorist incident, which had taken the life of a great statesman".

"Hariri's loss would be greatly felt by the entire Arab world."

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said he was shocked to learn about the death of Hariri, a "towering personality in Lebanese and regional politics."

"The international community should act together against the scourge of terrorism," Aziz was quoted as saying.

The government announced a day of mourning on Tuesday over the slaying of Hariri.

"Pakistan's flag will fly half-mast on Tuesday," it said.

South African President Thabo Mbeki condemned the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in an explosion in Beirut and said terrorism could not resolve political or military problems.

"Our thoughts and prayers reach out to the family of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, the government and peoples of Lebanon during this time of bereavement," said President Mbeki.

The statement said South Africa "reiterates its condemnation of all forms of terrorism, and maintains that military solutions cannot lead to the resolution of political problems."

The Spanish government condemned the killing of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut as a "brutal terrorist attack" and offered condolences to his family.

"The Spanish government roundly condemns the brutal terrorist attack which caused the death today in Beirut of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and of at least another nine people," a foreign ministry statement read.

"The Spanish government wishes to express its pain and sympathy with his family and the Lebanese people for the irreparable loss his death presents his country and the whole of the Middle East," the ministry said.

"Rafiq Hariri was a great Lebanese patriot and a good friend of Spain, a man committed to national reconciliation and the pursuit of peace," the statement said.

The ministry added it hoped no stone would be left unturned bringing the perpetrators of Monday's "odious act" to justice.

In Tehran Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani condemned the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

Rafsanjani said in his message that the report on assassination of Hariri and his death in Beirut blast had depressed him.

While strongly condemning such "sinister terrorist measures", Rafsanjani condoled Lebanese President, government and nation, especially the bereaved family of Hariri on the catastrophe.

Also Majlis speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel condemned the assassination of Hariri.

Turkey has condemned the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated in Beirut. According to a press release issued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the assassination of Hariri and an accompanying group of officials has caused deep sorrow in Turkey. ''Turkey has lost a dear friend,'' said the ministry press release.

The ministry statement read that Hariri had made important contributions to Turkish-Lebanese relations during his tenure as Prime Minister of Lebanon.

In Germany, Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer voiced his condemnation and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent a message of condolence.

Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini sent a message to Lebanese counterpart Mahmud Hammud, expressing his country's condolences after the "vile attack".