Rafik Hariri

Rafik Bahaa Edine Hariri (1 November 1944 – February 14 2005), was a Muslim Lebanese self-made billionaire and business tycoon, and was twice Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. He last resigned from office on 20 October 2004. Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005 when explosives equivalent to around 1000 kg of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove past the St George Hotel in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The Syrian government has borne the brunt of Lebanese and international outrage at the murder, due to its extensive military and intelligence influence in Lebanon, as well as the public rift between Hariri and Damascus just before his last resignation. No actual substantial evidence implicating any party or individual to the actual killing has yet been uncovered in the case. However on 2nd September 2005 Lebanese authorities detained the top pro-Syrian security chiefs serving at the time of the assasination on suspicion of involvement in the plot.

Related Topics:
1 November - 1944 - February 14 - 2005 - Billionaire - Prime Minister - Lebanon - 1992 - 1998 - 2000 - 2004 - 20 October - Kg - TNT - Beirut - Syrian - Damascus

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Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a recent recruit of the anti-Syrian opposition, emboldened by popular anger and civic action now being called Lebanon's "Cedar Revolution," alleged in the wake of the assassination that in August 2004 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatened Hariri, saying " Lahoud is me. ... If you and Chirac want me out of Lebanon, I will break Lebanon."http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/20/international/middleeast/20lebanon.html?ei=5094&en=441b692d8c0ef46a&hp=&ex=1111294800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all&position=. He was quoted as saying "When I heard him telling us those words, I knew that it was his condemnation of death." The United States, the EU and the UN have stopped short of any accusations, choosing instead to demand a Syrian pullout from Lebanon and an open and international investigation of the Assassination. Jumblatt's comments are not without controversy; the BBC describes him as "being seen by many as the country's political weathervane" - consistently changing allegiances to emerge on the winning side of the issues de jour through the turmoil of the 1975-90 civil war and its troubled aftermath. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4348129.stm He was a supporter of Syria after the war but switched sides after the death of former Syrian president Hafez al-Assad in 2000. His account is quoted, but not confirmed, in the UN's Fitzgerald Report. The report stops short of directly accusing Damascus or any other party, saying that only a further thorough international inquest can identify the culprit. Lara Marlow, an Irish journalist also alleged that Hariri told her that he received threats.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/international/middleeast/25hariri.html?pagewanted=all&position=: The Lebanese government has agreed to this inquiry, though calling for the full participation, not supremacy, of its own agencies and the respect of Lebanese sovereignty. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4383321.stm

Related Topics:
Druze - Walid Jumblatt - Cedar Revolution - 2004 - Bashar al-Assad - Hariri - President of Lebanon - Lahoud - Chirac - United States - EU - UN - Hafez al-Assad - Fitzgerald Report - Damascus

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:According to these testimonies, Mr. Hariri reminded Mr. Assad of his pledge not to seek an extension for Mr. Lahoud?s term, and Mr. Assad replied that there was a policy shift and that the decision was already taken. He added that Mr. Lahoud should be viewed as his personal representative in Lebanon and that ?opposing him is tantamount to opposing Assad himself?. He then added that he (Mr. Assad) ?would rather break Lebanon over the heads of Hariri and Walid Jumblatt than see his word in Lebanon broken?. Irish journalist Lara Marlow with whom Hariri talked reported similar allegations. According to the testimonies, Mr. Assad then threatened both Mr. Hariri and Mr. Jumblatt with physical harm if they opposed the extension for Mr. Lahoud. The meeting reportedly lasted for ten minutes, and was the last time Mr. Hariri met with Mr. Assad. After that meeting, Mr. Hariri told his supporters that they had no other option but to support the extension for Mr. Lahoud. The Mission has also received accounts of further threats made to Mr. Hariri by security officials in case he abstained from voting in favor of the extension or ?even thought of leaving the country?.

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::— "Report of the Fact-Finding Mission to Lebanon inquiring into the causes, circumstances and consequences of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, 25 February ? 24 March 2005" (the Fitzgerald Report)

Related Topics:
25 February - 24 March - 2005 - Fitzgerald Report

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The UN security council adopted resolution 1595 to send an investigation team to investigate about the assassination of Rafik Hariri. This team is headed by Mr. Detlev Mehlis and is currently collecting evidences and reports in Beirut.

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Mr. Hariri son's , Saad , is taking the place of his father in the lebanese political scene.

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On June 22, 2005, Beirut International Airport was renamed Rafic Hariri International Airport in honor of Rafik Hariri.

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