April 1, 2005

MP BAHIA AL-HARIRI STRESSED THE INSISTENCE OF LEBANESE TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ASSASSINATION OF PREMIER RAFIQ AL-HARIRI. THE OPPOSITION CONSIDERS THE UN REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION A DEFEAT FOR THE AUTHORITY. PRESIDENT LAHOUD ADDRESSES A MESSAGE TO THE LEBANESE IN WHICH HE VOWS TO UNVEIL ALL THE FACTS ABOUT THE KILLING OF AL-HARIRI. THE LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER ANNOUNCES THE AGREEMENT OF THE STATE TO FORM AN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION COMMISSION INTO THE CRIME. Thousands of dignitaries, VIPs and people converged on martyred Prime Minister Rafic Hariri's residence in Koreitem, to commemorate the fortieth day since the late leader was assassinated in a bomb attack on his convoy in Beirut. Mrs. Nazik Hariri, Mr. Shafik Hariri, the late Premier's brother, his sister MP Bahia Hariri, family members, former Ministers Bahij Tabbara and Fouad Siniora, and MP Mohsen Dalloul, received the mourners. Prayers were held on the occasion. Also Mrs. Hariri was informed that the municipality of the city of Irbid in Jordan named one of its streets after the murdered Premier to honor his national contributions and significant role in the service of Arab causes. Mayor Walid al-Masri said Mr. Hariri "carried a national message and was martyred while performing his duty, and defending his people and national causes." Meanwhile MP Bahia Hariri stressed in a speech the condemnation of all Lebanese of the criminal act which ended the life of her late brother former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. She said all Lebanese prayed together on the 40th day commemorating the assassination of the late Prime Minister, they are all united and our minds will not rest until we unveil the truth behind this violent crime. She added that if we insist the truth will be reached and we should never give any chances to those who are playing with the future of Lebanon. From her side Nazik Hariri, widow of former premier Rafiq Hariri, called for an international inquiry into her husband's murder. At Martyr's square, Mrs. Hariri signed a petition calling for inquiry by an international commission into the Valetine's day explosion, which many hope would reveal the truth behind the blast. Monday the 28th of March a women's march was held at four pm. Women from across Lebanon walked from the site of blast to Martyr's Square to condemn the acts of terrorism committed in Lebanon over the past month and calling for the truth behind Hariri's murder. In Sidon the sister of Prime Minister Hariri said all Lebanese refuse to go back in time to the dark days of the civil war. She said all Lebanese are responsible for the security and stability of their country. Mrs Hariri was talking to a group of students at the family home in east Sidon, where she urged them to follow the peaceful path towards the future. Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's Beirut Decision Bloc in Parliament and deputies representing the Wave of the Future welcomed the report by the United Nations fact-finding mission into martyred former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's murder, and urged the international community to quickly form an international committee to investigate the February 14 bombing that killed Mr. Hariri and his companions. After the extraordinary meeting deputies discussed the UN report, which reaffirmed calls by the legislators and the late leader's family to launch an international probe into the murder and to dismiss security chiefs. The statement said the UN report repeated what the Lebanese were already aware of regarding the failure of the Lebanese security apparatus and the Syrian military intelligence, who were primarily responsible for not providing the required security, according to Lebanese laws and for flaws in implementing obligations. Deputies said the report pointed out that the shortcomings provided the appropriate atmosphere for the crime, and highlighted manipulation of the bombing site. Officials made clear that the UN report indisputably offered details of the political incitement and the campaign that was launched by the authorities, even at the helm, providing a backdrop for the assassination, tantamount to a political responsibility which cannot be ignored. They said security chiefs and the prosecutor general cannot pursue their jobs after the report pointed to their failure and cited them as a stumble block to finding the truth and reforming the country's security system. They appealed to the Security Council to speed up the formation of an international committee to investigate the murder, in line with the report's recommendation, to find the truth and refer to trial all those who incited, participated, and played a role in the crime. Addressing the late leader and his companions, and Deputy Basil Fuleihan who was gravely injured in the explosion, deputies pledged to press ahead with their efforts to find the perpetrators of the attack and praised the support that they have been receiving from Lebanon and abroad. U.N. officials issued the report from the fact-finding mission into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The report did not directly assign blame for the former prime minister's death, but it did say Syria was to blame for the political tensions that existed in Lebanon prior to the attack. Following is the text of the executive summary of the U.N. report: On 14 February 2005, an explosion in downtown Beirut killed twenty persons, among them the former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri. The United Nations' Secretary-General dispatched a Fact-Finding Mission to Beirut to inquire into the causes, the circumstances and the consequences of this assassination. Since it arrived in Beirut on 25 February, the Mission met with a large number of Lebanese officials and representatives of different political groups, performed a thorough review of the Lebanese investigation and legal proceedings, examined the crime scene and the evidence collected by the local police, collected and analyzed samples from the crime scene, and interviewed some witnesses in relation to the crime. The specific 'causes' for the assassination of Mr. Hariri cannot be reliably asserted until after the perpetrators of this crime are brought to justice. However, it is clear that the assassination took place in a political and security context marked by an acute polarization around the Syrian influence in Lebanon and a failure of the Lebanese State to provide adequate protection for its citizens. Regarding the circumstances, the Mission is of the view that the explosion was caused by a TNT charge of about 1000 KG placed most likely above the ground. The review of the investigation indicates that there was a distinct lack of commitment on the part of the Lebanese authorities to investigate the crime effectively, and that this investigation was not carried out in accordance with acceptable international standards. The Mission is also of the view that the Lebanese investigation lacks the confidence of the population necessary for its results to be accepted. The consequences of the assassination could be far-reaching. It seems to have unlocked the gates of political upheavals that were simmering throughout the last year. Accusations and counter-accusations are rife and aggravate the ongoing political polarization. Some accuse the Syrian security services and leadership of assassinating Mr. Hariri because he became an insurmountable obstacle to their influence in Lebanon. Syrian supporters maintain that he was assassinated by "the enemies of Syria"; those who wanted to create international pressure on the Syrian leadership in order to accelerate the demise of its influence in Lebanon and/or start a chain of reactions that would eventually force a 'regime change' inside Syria itself. Lebanese politicians from different backgrounds expressed to the Mission their fear that Lebanon could be caught in a possible showdown between Syria and the international community, with devastating consequences for Lebanese peace and security. After gathering the available facts, the Mission concluded that the Lebanese security services and the Syrian Military Intelligence bear the primary responsibility for the lack of security, protection, law and order in Lebanon. The Lebanese security services have demonstrated serious and systematic negligence in carrying out the duties usually performed by a professional national security apparatus. In doing so, they have severely failed to provide the citizens of Lebanon with an acceptable level of security and, therefore, have contributed to the propagation of a culture of intimidation and impunity. The Syrian Military Intelligence shares this responsibility to the extent of its involvement in running the security services in Lebanon. It is also the Mission's conclusion that the Government of Syria bears primary responsibility for the political tension that preceded the assassination of former Prime Minister Mr. Hariri. The Government of Syria clearly exerted influence that goes beyond the reasonable exercise of cooperative or neighborly relations. It interfered with the details of governance in Lebanon in a heavy-handed and inflexible manner that was the primary reason for the political polarization that ensued. Without prejudice to the results of the investigation, it is obvious that this atmosphere provided the backdrop for the assassination of Mr. Hariri. It became clear to the Mission that the Lebanese investigation process suffers from serious flaws and has neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion. To find the truth, it would be necessary to entrust the investigation to an international independent commission, comprising the different fields of expertise that are usually involved in carrying out similarly large investigations in national systems, with the necessary executive authority to carry out interrogations, searches, and other relevant tasks. Furthermore, it is more than doubtful that such an international commission could carry out its tasks satisfactorily - and receives the necessary active cooperation from local authorities - while the current leadership of the Lebanese security services remains in office. It is the Mission's conclusion that the restoration of the integrity and credibility of the Lebanese security apparatus is of vital importance to the security and stability of the country. A sustained effort to restructure, reform and retrain the Lebanese security services will be necessary to achieve this end, and will certainly require assistance and active engagement on the part of the international community. Finally, it is the Mission's view that international and regional political support will be necessary to safeguard Lebanon's national unity and to shield its fragile polity from unwarranted pressure. Improving the prospects of peace and security in the region would offer a more solid ground for restoring normalcy in Lebanon. Meanwhile the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud stressed his care to find out the killers of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, with the approaching of the 40 day of his assassination, saying he "will resort to international and Arab commissions and references." Lahoud did not identify the form of the participation of these sides and whether he will accept an international investigation committee, though the Hariri family and the Lebanese opposition are still persistent on an international investigation commission. Lahoud stressed in a statement for the Lebanese Presidency that he is determined to introduce utmost penalty on the executors, provokers and all sides that took part in this crime." Hours before a UN fact-finding mission into the killing of Former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri report its findings to Secretary General Kofi Annan, President Emile Lahoud said he would not rest until all the truth surrounding former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination and stressed the truth would not be hidden. Lahoud turned to the Arab and international communities to help Lebanon find the perpetrators behind the February 14th explosion which killed 19 people and wounded over 200 others. Responding to media reports accusing the president of having been late in expressing condemnation of the February 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, President Emile Lahoud's press office said the country's leader was the first to have strongly denounced the crime and described Hariri as "Lebanon's martyr." The statement, which called for consulting with the president's press office in anything related to the president's news, said the assassination was a "black mark on our national history" and aimed at stirring strife. The statement also enumerated Hariri's achievements both locally and internationally, and asserted that the perpetrators will be "punished and brought to justice." According to the statement, Lahoud expressed his stands to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, UN envoy Lakhdar Ibrahimi, Russian envoy Alexander Sultanov, Iranian Vice-President for Legal Affairs Majid Ansari, delegations from the Supreme Evangelical Council, the Industrialists Association, the National Action Forum, the Journalists Union, and participants in the Palestinian Right of Return conference. Lahoud praised Hariri's local, regional and international relations and said the assassination was "a blow to the achievements of the government on economic and social levels." Lahoud told Ansari on February 21 that the results of investigations "will be available to local, Arab and international opinion," adding that the government "welcomed any information that could help the investigation." On February 18, Lahoud said during his visit to Hariri's home to extend condolences that Hariri's absence was "a great loss to Lebanon, Arab countries and the world," the statement said. It added that Lahoud said in a letter to the Arab summit in Algeria that "Lebanon has sustained a terrible loss represented by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who played a leading role in reconstruction and civil peace process and in his Arab and international relations." The president also said in a message commemorating 40 days since the death of Hariri that the former premier was "an international figure who left unforgettable fingerprints in economy and politics and in the charity field," and renewed his pledge to punish the perpetrators, the statement said. Regarding Lahoud's position toward the UN role in following up the assassination, the president told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on February 19 Lebanon welcomed any help the UN can offer. He also told the head of the UN inquiry team, Peter Fitzgerald, on March 1, about the government's "determination" to expose the perpetrators and facilitate the UN team's task. Lahoud reiterated his stands to Fitzgerald when the delegation leader visited him on March 15 to thank him for his cooperation and urged Annan nine days later to "do whatever it takes to expose the truth," the statement said. On March 26, Lahoud asserted his commitment to revealing the truth in cooperation with the UN and said the most severe punishment will be applied to those who are convicted. A day after a bombing injured five people in Beirut, President Emile Lahoud pledged to do his utmost to end the spate of violence that has gripped Lebanon since last month's assassination of former premier Rafiq Hairiri. Lahoud said that unity among the Lebanese will save the country. His comments came after he attended an Easter Mass in which Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir urged the president to work to rescue the country. Sfeir decried the latest violence in his Mass address. "These incidents appear to be strongly pressuring everyone and are putting them (people) at a crossroad which is either independence, sovereignty and freedom and this is what most of the Lebanese want or insecurity, unrest and trouble and this is what some who don't want the good for Lebanon are warning about," Sfeir said. President Lahoud, a Maronite, vowed that he would not let security get out of control. "We will do all we can. We should all be united because this is how we can save the country," he said. Lebanon's official National News Agency said Sfeir and Lahoud met before the Mass and shared identical points of view on forming a new government that will continue the investigation into Hariri's killing and prepare for parliamentary elections, scheduled to begin next month. On the other hand Syria on Tuesday sent a letter to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Chairmen of the Security Council and the General Assembly commenting on the UN fact-finding mission's report on the assassination of Former Lebanese Premier Rafic Hariri. The letter said the report talked in length about the political and psychological situation that preceded the heinous crime of assassinating Hariri, thereby making the findings of this report far from objective and showing somehow a sort of solidarity with one Lebanese party while neglecting the viewpoints of the other. "The Feb. 14th explosion was exploited to serve the viewpoint of one Lebanese party who aimed at launching coup d'etat regardless of the importance of coexistence, maintaining civic peace and the national accord among the Lebanese which Hariri himself believed in." The letter said the report dropped the historical, geographic, political and social cohesion between the Lebanese and the Syrian people. "Despite the fact that the report was not expected to refer to Syria's positive role in building the civic peace in Lebanon and ending the civil war across the country, it is strange to ascribe the political tension that emerged a few months before the assassination of Hariri to Syria," it added. It also pointed out that the political tension was clear since June 2004 when the idea of taking the Lebanese issue to the UN Security Council was raised, asserting that the UN resolution 1559 increased tension and caused sharp divisions in Lebanon leading to economic, security and political paralysis in and outside Beirut. The letter recalled that the civil war and the Israeli occupation of great parts of the Lebanese lands had necessitated a state of military and security cooperation as well as political coordination between Syria and Lebanon against all challenges. "This cooperation concentrated on maintaining civic peace in Lebanon had emerged from the national accord and the Taif Agreement, a thing that enabled Syria to decrease its troops to 10,000 from 40,000 in addition to future full withdrawals of these forces before the forthcoming Lebanese elections," it added. The letter said the UN report neglected the long-term cordial relations between the Syrian leadership and Premier Hariri, pointing out that it also dropped Hariri's participation in the achievement of the Taif Accord and his commitment to Syrian-Lebanese strategic relations. "Revision of Hariri's latest statement before being assassinated confirm keenness on continuing personal and political relations with the Syrian leadership," it noted, adding that Hariri, before his assassination, had made many phone calls with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister to arrange for a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad. "Syria was astonished over the hint incorporated in the report on alleged improper dialogue held between President al-Assad and late Premier Hariri ... This hint is totally unacceptable because it is unfounded and lacks credible concrete evidence." Syria concluded by particularly demanding the omission of this hint on President al-Assad in person out of Syria's keenness on the UN credibility. "Syria sees that this hint is an unwarranted insertion in any report presented to the Security Council." The letter added that Syria, one of the sides affected by the loss of Hariri, stresses the importance of revealing who was behind this heinous crime against Hariri and define the beneficiary parties as soon as possible. Syria supports the stances of Lebanon regarding this issue as it is more keen than the others on Lebanon's sovereignty, prosperity and independence. "President Hosni Mubarak made two telephone calls yesterday with his Syrian and Lebanese counterparts Bashar Al-Assad and Emile Lahoud on the latest Syrian-Lebanese developments," Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad told MENA. President Mubarak's talks with the two Syrian and Lebanese leaders are part of constant follow-up of the latest developments in Syria and Lebanon, added the spokesman. On the other hand the leader of the Socialist Progressive Party and main opposition figure, Walid Jumblat had called for honoring Taif agreement "concerning protection of the resistance and to opening a new page with Syria by establishing distinguished relations with it." He also stressed that the opposition will not accept foreign forces in Lebanon, nor the expansion of the cycle of the international investigation out side the frame of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. Jumblat, met with the secretary general of the Hizbullah party Hassan Nasrullah earlier, stressing that dismantling the weapons of the party is not debated at the current phase. Opposition Druz parliamentarian Walid Jumblat started talks with the secretary general of the Lebanese Hizbullah party Hassan Nasrullah at the headquarters of the party. Jumblat said the talks assured of the support to the Lebanese resistance's role, and that the talks did not cover the issue of arms owned by the organization. The talks came following the explosion which hit the region on Saturday al- Sakouna- al-Boushreyah area in Beirut and resulted in wounding 6 persons. The explosion overwhelmed the celebrations of Christians on the Easter amid questions on the objective of targeting their lives. The Christian quarters were the main target of all explosives, which exploded or did not during last week, after the Lebanese security forces dismantled them or found they were fake. Meantime, Jumblat said that the issue of the explosives is a destructive issue that is not useful at this stage of the Lebanese crisis. He expressed hope that a new page in relations with Syria would be established. The Lebanese government expressed readiness to cooperate with the recommendations of the UN fact finding commission to carry out an international investigation in order to reveal "the facts" in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri. The Lebanese foreign minister Mahmoud Hammoud said in a joint press conference with the minister of Justice Adnan Addoum that the government is careful to know the "fact." But he indicated this is linked to what the UN Security Council resolution will conclude in light of the recommendations of the committee. But the Lebanese minister stressed that the report of the committee cannot be considered as judicial or legal. It is rather a technical report and considered the conclusions of the report as not built on evidence. Concerning the tension which prevailed Lebanon prior to the assassination of Hariri, the Lebanese minister said that UN Security Council resolution 1559 was the cause the atmosphere of political unrest among all Lebanese sides. The minister refused the accusations raised by the report of the Lebanese security forces on failure or negligence in ensuring security to its citizens, noting these accusations are far from reality and beyond the mission of the committee. The report unveiled by the UN fact-finding þmission to identify who assassinated former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Al-Hariri has drawn contrary reactions from both the opposition and the authority.þ þ The opposition considered the report "positive" for affirming its proper positions while the Lebanese authorities affirmed sovereignty and refused to þcede full control of the probe to an outside panel.þ þ Lebanese opposition figures underlined in press statements need for Lebanon þto cooperate in full with the UN in the next stage, while the authorities were flexible on that cooperation and did not reject it. þ þ The investigative mission led by Deputy Irish police commissioner Peter Fitzgerald, has called for an international investigation to identify "those þ who ordered, planned and carried out this heinous crime."þ þ Fitzgerald submitted the findings to Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the þ15-nation Security Council last night, cautioning that the assassination of Hariri has opened "the gates of political upheavals" simmering in the strongly þpolarized political atmosphere in Lebanon for decades.þ þ Speaking a day after a UN report into the February 14 assassination of þHariri faulted Lebanese authorities in their investigation and called for an international inquiry, head of the Democratic Renovation Movement MP Nasib Lahoud, said the report did not disapppoint the Lebanese people and could be a þ full representation against the joint intelligence system". þ He said the report "pointed out very clearly to the main source þ þof morbid for Lebanon and for all the Lebanese and not just to the þ þassassination of Hariri".þ þ He said this entails the demand of the opposition for "need to complete the Syrian troop and intelligence withdrawal from all the Lebanese territories within few weeks. þ þ He said the report "confirms need for carrying out drastic overhaul of the þLebanese intelligence according to a detailed program, adding that this also þagrees with the other demand of the opposition for walk out of intelligence þchiefs."þ þþ Lahoud said as demanded by the opposition there is no way but to þ þrefer the investigation on the assassination of Hariri to an independent investigatory mission. þ þ This agreed with the UN report which said "to find the truth it would be necessary to entrust the investigation to an international independent þcommission." þ þ In turn member of "Qurnet Shahwan meeting" Jibran Tweini said "the UN þreport has condemned both the Lebanese and Syrian authorities, or at least Syria and its allies for creating political tension and for the failure to þestablish security at the investigative procedural level." þ MP Ghassan Mkheiber welcomed the report adding that Lebanon should fully þcooperate with the UN in the next stage and stop shedding doubt on its efforts. þ þ Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hamoud insisted that any commission formed þby the UN Security Council to investigate the assassination of former premier þRafiq Hariri should cooperate with the Lebanese state.þ He said that his country is committed to its þ sovereignty, but he did not refuse a UN investigation on the assassination of þ Hariri.þ þ He accused the UN mission of "overstepping its prerogatives" and of þ"harming the role played by the Lebanese state."þ President Emile Lahoud called on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan þ þto do all what is required to find out who killed Hariri.