February 18, 2005

PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL CONVEYS THE CONDOLENCES OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES, CALLS FOR QUICK INVESTIGATIONS AND TO FIND AND PUNISH THE CULPRITS TO AVOID UNPLEASANT CONSEQUENCES. LEBANON, THE ARAB NATIONS AND THE WORLD PAY THEIR LAST RESPECT TO RAFIQ AL-HARIRI. CHIRAC VISITS AL-HARIRI'S FAMILY IN BEIRUT TO OFFER HIS CONDOLENCES AND THE UN AND THE SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMN THE CRIME. THE US RECALLS ITS AMBASSADOR IN BEIRUT FOR CONSULTATIONS AND AL-SHARA EXPRESSES INTEREST IN THE UNITED STATES' DECISION TO RECALL SCOBEY, SAYING THAT IT CONSTITUTES AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFER SYRIA'S ATTITUDES DIRECTLY TO THE US ADMINISTRATION. The body of former Premier Rafiq Hariri and the other six men who were accompanying him were laid to rest at Mohammad al-Amin mosque, downtown Beirut. Funeral procession of Hariri began in Beirut last Wednesday within a mode of sadness and grief. The wide-range public funeral procession started in Qoreitem in the capital. Hundreds of thousands of people from all Lebanese cities and districts turned out for Hariri's burial. Arab and international delegations arrived in Beirut to offer condolences for the Hariri family. Lebanese security forces and army convoyed the procession to protect the participants. More that one million people attended the funerals of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Men wept uncontrollably as the procession wound through Beirut streets plastered with posters of the Sunni Muslim billionaire slain in a suspected suicide car bombing on Monday. In tears, his sons and relatives bore his coffin, draped in a Lebanese flag, from the ambulance into an unfinished mosque Hariri had financed in Beirut's once war-shattered downtown. Some mourners fainted as the crowd surged around the coffin before Hariri was laid to rest in the grounds of the mosque a few hundred meters from the seafront. Mosques blared prayers and church bells tolled across Beirut. The march, initially silent apart from the ambulance's siren, erupted in shouts of "Allahu Akbar (God is greatest)." French President Jacques Chirac, a personal friend of Hariri, flew to Beirut to present condolences and "pay tribute to the person who always personified Lebanon's will for independence, freedom and democracy," his office said. On the other hand Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who led the Saudi delegation to the funeral of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, emphasized the importance of speedy investigations into Monday's bomb blast in downtown Beirut that killed Hariri and 16 others. "This is essential to find and punish the culprits to avoid unpleasant consequences," the Saudi Press Agency quoted Prince Saud as saying in the Lebanese capital. Prince Saud conveyed the condolences of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard to Hariri's family. "Words fail to express the sorrow and pain felt by Lebanon and its friends as a result of the big loss," he said. Last Tuesday, speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Prince Saud said the people of Lebanon were capable of ensuring a fair and just investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Hariri. He was addressing a joint press conference with his French counterpart Michel Barnier who reiterated the call for an international inquiry "because we want the truth to be disclosed. Lebanese people want this and the international community wants this." Islamic prayers and tolling church bells filled the air as mourners bid an emotional farewell to Lebanon's former prime minister, a throng so thick that many people scrambled up scaffolding and telephone poles to get a glimpse of the procession. The ceremony drew both Muslims and Christians in a grand tribute to Hariri, who many here credit with rebuilding Lebanon following its devastating 1975-90 civil war. Streets were draped with black mourning banners or plastered with Hariri's pictures, and national flags hung from balconies. Residents showered mourners with rice, a traditional symbol of welcome. The procession drew Druze religious leaders, Sunni clerics, Christians and Shiites, plus thousands of women, in the funeral marches together. The two-hour procession ended at downtown Beirut's towering Mohammed al-Amin Mosque, which Hariri built and was buried at. Walid Jumblat Head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), has said all red lines have been eliminated after Rafik Hariri's assassination and "we shall go to all international forums to dramatize Lebanon's plight." "Lebanon's destiny is at stake nowadays. Either the police state system that is backed by Syria stays on or the Lebanese free decision-making triumphs for a better life to all the Lebanese," Jumblat said in an interview broadcast by the U.S.-funded SAWA radio station. In statements, Druze opposition MP Marwan Hamade suggested that the former premier was killed by a bomb placed in a tunnel. Hamadeh, citing unconfirmed reports, said explosives were placed in a tunnel in an area where public works maintenance took place a few days before the attack. That part of the sea front road had been closed to traffic, the paper quoted Hamadeh as saying. Meanwhile the Lebanese judiciary announced it was requesting the assistance of Swiss experts to probe the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, judicial sources said. The Military Tribunal chief investigating magistrate Rashid Mezher is seeking the help of experts specialized in explosives and DNA, upon the request of Lebanon's military prosecutor Jean Fahd. Mezher said the expenses of the foreign team would be carried by the Lebanese government, adding that the experts would start their mission only after being sworn in by the Military Tribunal. The bodies of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri and his associates were buried last Wednesday after they were prayed upon at the Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque, with the attendance of thousands of citizens, as well as Arab and international figures. The Lebanese people eulogised the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in the presence of a large number of international, regional and official figures in a people's funeral to take the streets of Beirut. Beirut witnessed funeral atmospheres when thousands of Lebanese people lit candles in several quarters of the capital while scores of students observed a sit in off the coast of Beirut near the place where Hariri and other 14 persons were assassinated in the same place. Simultaneously, thousands of Lebanese in Tripoli, the largest cities of North Lebanon and Sidon, the birth place of Hariri took the streets in demonstrations deploring the assassination and chanted slogans supporting Hariri's son and raised slogans demanding the resignation of the government and the departure of the Syrian forces from Lebanon. Dignitaries from around the Middle East and the world attended Wednesday's funeral for former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. They included: France: President Jacques Chirac and his wife Bernadette Chirac. United States: Assistant Secretary of State for Near East affairs William Burns. European Union: Middle East envoy Marc Otte. United Nations: special envoy Lakhdar Ibrahimi. Arab League: Secretary General Amr Moussa. Organization of the Islamic Conference: Chairman Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. Syria: Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Egypt: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and the son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Gamal Mubarak. Saudi Prince Walid Ibn Talal. Palestinian Authority: Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath. Algeria: Parliament Speaker Ammar Saadani. Bahrain: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ibn Abdullah al-Khalifa. Germany: Deputy Foreign Minister Hans-Martin Bury. Iraq: Transport Minister Loai Ariss. Jordan: Interior Minister Samir Habashneh, Senate Speaker Zaid Rifai. Kuwait: Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, adviser to Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, and son of Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah. Morocco: Prime Minister Driss Jettou. Qatar: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber. Russia: Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov. Yemen: Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kerbi. Also taking part in the funeral were the higher representative for the foreign and security policy in the European Union Javier Solana, the British foreign office secretary Jack Straw as well as former prime minister of Malaysia Mahatir Muhammad. On the other hand Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister, commended Saudi-Italian relations in remarks to reporters after receiving Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu. On his part, the Italian minister expressed support for Saudi efforts to fight terrorism and the results of the anti-terrorism conference which was held here recently. Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister, held discussions with visiting Minister of Interior of Italy Giuseppe Pisanu. As a result of the discussions, the two sides agreed to boost cooperation in various security issues and a document concerning this agreement was signed. Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior, said that the minutes of agreement were signed with the Italian interior Ministry and they will be finalized in a comprehensive security agreement soon. In press statements following his talks with Italy's Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu, Prince Naif pointed out that we have previously signed a memorandum of understanding with the Italian interior ministry, but today we signed the minutes relating to combating terrorism, cooperation in this field and fighting narcotics and money laundering. As regards cooperation with the countries of the European Union (EU) on combating terrorism, Prince Naif said that he has previously met with EU ambassadors, adding that we welcome this cooperation and hope that it will be expanded at the level of the Gulf and the Arab world . He noted that agreements signed by the Kingdom with brotherly and friendly countries have been implemented, but they always need to be developed. Asked if the Kingdom was informed of Saudi victims in the explosion that took place in Beirut on Monday, he said we have not received anything yet. On the International the Counter-terrorism Conference recently concluded in Riyadh, Prince Naif said that in my meeting with the minister we fully supported the outcomes of the Conference and the Italian minister stressed his country's support for the Conference and the set up of an International Counter-terrorism Center. Responding to a question on involving the Kingdom's name in Beirut explosion, the Prince commented that the claim is very nonsensical and it may be for a certain purpose. When asked about the group who claimed responsibility of the terrorist blast in Beirut as a revenge of killing terrorists in the Kingdom, he said "I think that a group in such a name does not exist". About granting political asylum by European countries to some terrorist groups, Prince Naif said we should not generalize by mentioning all Europe as there might be one country or more which use this kind of diplomatic measure and offer it to those who don't deserve it. On the other hand Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz confirmed that security cooperation does exist between the Kingdom and Kuwait. On his part, the Interior Minister of Italy said, when asked about how Italian authorities differentiate between a true Muslim and a terrorist Muslim, that Italy hosts about one million Muslims who are classified as honorable and hard workers, but among them some minorities of extremists are active in Italy as is the case in some European countries, he said. We are in the process of launching dialogue with moderate Muslims to isolate the violent extremists, he added. He classified terrorism as an international crime that should be fought by all anti-terrorism parties. This is the core of the idea of holding an international counter-terrorism conference in Riyadh recently and this is also the subject of the seven-point agreement I signed in Riyadh with my counterpart Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister said. The Italian Minister expressed readiness of his country to extend maximum cooperation in investigations that might lead to the elimination of international terrorism. My country has a good record in the combat against international terrorism and a rich experience in wiping out internal terrorism, he said, citing the fight against the Red Brigades. Meanwhile Prince Saud Al-Faisal, offered his condolences to the family of Lebanon's former Premier Rafiq Al-Hariri who was killed in a terrorist crime in Beirut, pointing to a strong friendship binding him with Al-Hariri. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister was accompanied by Prince Khalid Ibn Saud Ibn Khalid; Prince Mohammed Ibn Saud Ibn Khalid; Prince Bandar Ibn Saud Ibn Khalid and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Ibn Mohieddin Khojah who all paid a visit to the residence of Lebanon's late former Premier Rafiq Al-Hariri to offer their condolences to Al-Hariri's family and relatives. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, also received his French Counterpart Michel Barnier. They reviewed the current situation in the Middle East, notably the Palestinian problem and the developments of the situation in Iraq in addition to bilateral relations. The meeting was attended by a number of senior officials. In a joint press conference held with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, Prince Saud said that Lebanon is an independent state and its judiciary is independent and we will wait to see what the Lebanese judiciary says on the issue of killing Al-Hariri. He described the claim of a terrorist group in Lebanon on the killing of Al-Hariri in response to the elimination of the deviant group by Saudi Security forces as nonsense, stressing that the crime is against Lebanon and the Lebanese people and it can not be justified by false allegations. Prince Saud stressed that the Kingdom will not give up its economic commitments to Lebanon, affirming that these commitments are international and the Kingdom will not give up its international obligations. On his part, the French foreign minister said that he carries a message of friendship from President Jacques Chirac of France to Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, on the enhancement of the political cooperation and bilateral relations between the two countries. He indicated that his country is working on issuing a presidential statement or text in the UN Security Council condemning the terrorist assassination of Al-Hariri, adding that France will continue working on achieving an international investigation on this issue and it is currently discussing this topic with the UN Secretary General. Meanwhile the Lebanese army went on high alert after the killing of Hariri, an attack which Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh said was probably the work of a suicide bomber. Lebanese Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh said that the attack was probably the work of a suicide car bomber, but that investigators were still looking for concrete evidence. Franjieh said "the vehicle was not parked along the side of the road. The crater dug by the explosion was in the middle of the road. So the vehicle was alongside Hariri's convoy and could have tried to ram into it. "It is possible that it was a suicide bomber who was driving it," he said. On the other hand the U.N. Security Council February 15 condemned the bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and said it is concerned by the potential for further destabilization of the country as a result of the terrorist incident. "The Security Council is gravely concerned by the murder of the former prime minister of Lebanon and its possible impact on ongoing efforts by the people of Lebanon to solidify Lebanon's democracy, including during the upcoming parliamentary elections," the council said in a statement read at a formal public meeting by its president, Joel Adechi of Benin. Such a terrorist act, the council said, "should not jeopardize the holding of these elections in transparent, free, and democratic conditions." The council also expressed "hope that the Lebanese people will be able to emerge from this terrible event united, and to use peaceful means in support of their longstanding national aspiration to full sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity." The Security Council called on Lebanon to bring the perpetrators, organizers, and sponsors of the bombing to justice and asked U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to follow the situation closely and report back on an urgent basis. U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson said that the council's message was that "other countries should get out of Lebanon's business and observe the territorial integrity and sovereignty and cease interference in Lebanon's internal affairs." "The Security Council has a long history of engagement on this issue and the message has been very consistent -- that other countries need to stop interfering in Lebanon," said Patterson, who is the acting U.S. representative to the United Nations. The terrorist attack on Hariri "is only the most recent, and frankly, the most horrific demonstration of the effects of that foreign interference," the ambassador told journalists outside the Security Council's chambers. "The United States government is calling on Syria to comply immediately with the provisions of resolution 1559. And it is totally consistent with the statement the Security Council has just passed," Patterson added. Resolution 1559, which was adopted in September 2004, calls for the withdrawal of all remaining foreign forces from Lebanon, disbanding of all militias, and extending the government of Lebanon's control over the entire country. In a report to the Security Council in October 2004, the secretary-general said there were about 14,000 Syrian troops stationed inside Lebanon near the border. Patterson said that Syria "has got to get out of Lebanon.آ Syria has got to comply with the provisions of resolution 1559, withdraw their troops from Lebanon, and cease their interference in Lebanon's internal affairs." "I think that message has been very specific and it's time for Syria to listen to that now," the U.S. ambassador said. Annan said that with the killing of Hariri "a great personality and a great political leader has been removed from the scene" in Lebanon. Arriving at his office February 15, Annan told journalists that U.N. special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen had been in Damascus and Beirut in the beginning of February, meeting with senior officials to see about the implementation of resolution 1559. Annan said Roed-Larsen told Syrian officials that "we needed to see more progress on the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and hope that there will be actual action, clear signs of withdrawal by the time that I submit my next report to the Security Council" in April. Meantime Syria's Permanent Envoy to the UN Faisal Miqdad said # that no country in the world will feel the absence and loss of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri more than Syria whom he loved and held strong and distinguished relations with. "Lebanon witnessed a painful incident, by all criterions, when the hand of terrorism and crime assassinated Hariri who has been considered one of Lebanon's sincere leaders," Miqdad, heading the Arab Group to the UN for this month , said in a statement to a UN General Assembly session. "The sudden absence of Hariri was not only a loss for Lebanon, but it was a great loss for all Arab states," Syrian Envoy added. He, by the name of the Arab Group, conveyed sincere condolences to Lebanon as a government and people, particularly to Hariri's family, wishing Lebanon more stability and prosperity. Meanwhile speaking to reporters after her February 15 meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said: "the Syrian Government is, unfortunately, on a path right now that -- where relations are not improving but are worsening, and what we have said to the Syrian Government in light of the recent events, the recent very tragic events in Lebanon -- and let me just say that the United States Government was deeply grieved by what happened to Mr. Hariri and condolences to his family and to the Lebanese people for that event. But this most recent event, we have said to the Syrians, as have others -- and I believe there's just been a recent Presidential Statement out of the UN -- that there should be a full investigation of this matter. But our problems with the Syrian Government are not new. We would hope that the Syrian Government would take the opportunity of this signal from the United States to review where we are in the relationship and to try to put our relations on a better path. Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara and his American counterpart Gondoleezza Rice exchanged letters related to the updated events in Lebanon, Iraq and the Middle East peace process. That was during a meeting between FM al-Shara and the US ambassador in Damascus Margaret Scobey. At the end of the meeting the Foreign Minister expressed interest in the United States' decision to summon Scobey, saying that it constitutes an opportunity to transfer Syria's attitudes regarding the recent developments in the region directly to the US administration. Scobey voiced hope to turn back to her work place in the Syrian Capital as soon as possible. The United States announced it was recalling its ambassador from Syria amid speculation that Damascus which Washington has long criticized for exerting too much control over Lebanon had a hand in Monday's attack that killed Hariri and 16 others. In announcing the recall of US ambassador to Syria Margaret Scobey, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the Bush administration felt "profound outrage" over Hariri's assassination. White House spokesman Scott McClellan, apparently referring to a stern note Scobey delivered to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, said the United States has "made it clear to Syria that we expect Syria to act in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution calling for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and the disbanding of militias." The US Department of State announced that the US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice announced the withdrawal of the American ambassador in Damascus signifies a deterioration of the American relations with Syria. Rice did not accuse anyone of being involved in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri but the "Syrian government, regrettably, is not on the track of improving its relations with Washington," rather on the way to making these relations worse. Rice considered that the presence of the Syrian forces in Lebanon led to the destabilization of Lebanon. She renewed the call for the withdrawal of these forces and halting the Syrian interference in the Lebanese internal affairs, considering it as one of the reasons for the escalation of the internal crisis in Lebanon.