A member of the Lebanese parliament was assassinated in a bomb attack that ripped through his car near the popular waterfront in the Lebanese capital on Wednesday, killing nine other people.
The slain lawmaker, Walid Eido, was a vocal anti- Syrian advocate, and a close friend of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The assassination is a new blow to the stability of this conflict-torn land. It comes at a time when the Lebanese government on an order from the international tribunal of the United Nations, was beginning to try suspects in the killing of Hariri in Beirut two years ago. Walidi, the seventh leader killed in Lebanon in the past two years, was a prominent supporter of the tribunal. Syria and its allies in Lebanon were opposed to the move, therefore many Lebanese feel Syria’s hand in the bomb attack, a charge Syria openly denies.
Eido’s supporters indirectly accused Damascus, as agencies of evil seeking Lebanon’s submission carried out the blast.
Lebanon has declared Thursday to be observed as a national day of mourning for Eido and the other victims that include his son, two bodyguards and six others. Immediately as the news of the assassination rocked headlines, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers and the international community to help in the investigation of the legislator’s assassination.
Showing a bold face, the PM said that Lebanon and the Lebanese would never submit to terrorism or intimidation and success would be there’s.
U.S. President Bush condemning the bombing rebuked Syria to stop undermining democracy in Lebanon. He pledged full support to the war torn land and admonished Syria to abstain from interfering in Lebanon. Bush urged the international community to support the Lebanese government in the investigation of the latest assault on its democracy.
Senior Lebanese and Syrian intelligence officials, brother and brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have been indicted in Hariri’s murder by United Nations investigators. Yet, Syria continues to deny any involvement in the assassination.
Syrian forces had occupied Lebanon for 29 long years, until public outrage over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri drove the Syrian Government to submit to international demands and withdraw its troops. Syria and the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah are blamed for fomenting unrest and bloodhsed in Lebanon.
Via: CNN.com
