The
assassination plunged Lebanon into grief and despair and raised
worries about the stability of the country.
“Hariri
is dead, Lebanon will not survive. It's going to break apart into
sectarian enclaves. He alone could guarantee national unity,” wailed
one distraught elderly man.
President
Emile Lahoud said after a crisis meeting of security chiefs that his
political foe had died a “martyr for a united Lebanon” and ordered
three days of mourning and a state funeral for Hariri.
“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.”
Hariri
headed five governments from 1992 and resigned as premier in last
October after disputes with Lahoud.
Unknown
Group
A
previously unknown group claimed responsibility for Monday's
assassination in a videotape shown on Al-Jazeera television.
An-Nosra
wal Jihad fi Bilad al-Sham said it killed Hariri because of his close
ties with the Saudi regime, but it provided no proof of the claim.
The
video showed a young man with a long beard and wearing a black turban
reading a statement in front of a black banner marked with the group's
name.
Hariri,
a self-made billionaire, had close business ties with the Saudi royal
family and was a frequent visitor to the oil-rich Gulf state which has
been a key financial backer of Lebanon.
World
Condemnation
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“This
odious crime is aimed at striking Lebanese national unity and
civil peace,” said Bashar
|
Hariri’s
assassination was swiftly condemned by world leaders.
“This
odious crime is aimed at striking Lebanese national unity and civil
peace,” said Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who vowed to track
down the perpetrators.
He
also urged the Lebanese people “to reinforce their national unity
and reject all those who aim to cause trouble and sow division among
the people”.
Condemning
the killing, the Bush administration renewed its rhetoric against
Syria.
“This
murder today is a terrible reminder that the Lebanese people must be
able to pursue their aspirations and determine their own political
future free from violence and intimidation and free from Syrian
occupation,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
France,
an American alley in the press campaign against Lebanon and Syria,
called for an international inquiry into Hariri’s assassination.
“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,” President Jacques Chirac's office said in a
statement.
EU
foreign policy chief Javier Solana condemned as “despicable” the
killing of the former Lebanese premier.
He
hailed Hariri as “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.”
Arab
League Secretary General Amr Mussa condemned as a “terrorist act”
the assassination.
“The
probabilities are serious and we beseech God to save Lebanon from this
dangerous terrorist act and its repercussions,” he said.
“I
hope that we will all contribute to maintaining peace and security in
Lebanon,” said the chief of the pan-Arab body.
The
grisly crime was also denounced by Pakistan, Turkey, Palestine and
Kuwait.
Iran
vigorously condemned “the terrorist action” and pointed the finger
at Israel.
“An
organized terrorist structure such as the Zionist regime has the
capacity for such an operation whose aim is to undermine the unity of
Lebanon,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.
He
exhorted the Lebanese to be vigilant “to prevent the Zionist regime
from carrying out its sinister and expansionist projects in the
region.”
