International condemnation for al-Qassir assassination

Angry international reactions continued on Thursday deploring the assassination of the Lebanese journalist Samir al-Qassir. Paris deplored the assassination of al-Qassair and described him as one of the symbols of the freedom of independence in the Lebanese press.

The spokesman for the French foreign ministry said that France has confidence in the will of the Lebanese authorities in shedding light on this aggression and bringing those responsible to justice. He stressed his country's total cling as well as the whole international community to Lebanon's stability especially during the current elections period.

The Journalists Without Border demanded France to shoulder its responsibility to the assassination of the Lebanese- French journalist and said that Qassir was a great journalist and a lover of freedom and an opponent for Syria.

The Jordanian government expressed fears to that the assassination of Qassir will flare up conditions in Lebanon.

For her part, the representative of Palestine in France, Laila Shaheed, described the assassination of Qassir as a crime. She said "those who sought to shut this voice will not succeed because Qassir was and will be the spokesman for a whole generation of Arab intellectuals and activists, who will continue constructive work to build a contemporary, free and democratic Arab society.

US secretary of state Condaliza Rice deplored the incident but she said she does not know the side behind it.

For his part, the secretary general of the UN Kofi Annan condemned the assassination of the Lebanese opposition journalist and called for bringing the executors and sides provoked for this crime to the justice and to ensure the continued freedom of the press."