On the file of Hariri's assassination
Lebanon, Politics, 2/21/2005

The Lebanese authorities said on Monday it intends to inquire from the United Nations over appointing investigation teams in the assassination of Rafic Hariri, chaired by the Irish officer Peter Gerald, while the Lebanese defense minister Abdul Rahim Murad ruled out that the Lebanese authorities will show flexibility in dealing with the UN delegation which will head for Beirut within the few coming days.

A massive demonstration took place on Saturday evening during which hundreds of demonstrators chanted anti Syria and Lebanese government slogans and vowed to demonstrate every evening in the downtown of the capital Beirut until total disclosure of the identity of persons involved in the assassination operation.

The demonstrators demanded in front of the Parliament the withdrawal of the Syrian forces from their country and chanted against Damascus supporters in the government. Half an hour later, the demonstrators headed to the Hariri tomb which was converted to a people's shrine.

Simultaneously political figures from the Lebanese opposition strongly deplored the Lebanese authorities, and demanded the resignation of President of the Republic Emil Lahoud and the Prime minister Omar Karami.

Parliamentarian Faris Saeed, On behalf of the Lebanese opposition, rejected any call for dialogue with the authorities. Saeed said in a telephone call with al-Jazeera TV that such a call is just a reaction by the authorities because the initiative is now in the hands of the opposition, as he alleged.

However, a statement issued by a meeting held in the house of the speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri said that it is not the right of any politician to eliminate set rules which protect national unity, accusing the opposition of trying to undermine this very unity.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Khazen stresses Israel's involvement in the Hariri assassination   (2/19/2005)
  Continued investigations in Hariri assasination   (2/19/2005)
  Lebanese officials reaction to assassination crime   (2/19/2005)

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