Go Lebanon Go

Annan gets report on death of Lebanon's Hariri

2005-10-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:30 PM ET

By Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The head of a U.N. investigation into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri turned over to Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday a report that diplomatic and political sources said would implicate Syrian and Lebanese officials.

Annan planned to transmit the report by veteran German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis to the 15-nation Security Council and to the Lebanese government on Friday.

The United States is seeking tough action against Syria and Western powers are already discussing their response.

Mehlis had no plan to give an advance copy to Damascus, U.N. chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Syria has grown increasingly nervous over how strongly the report will implicate its officials in the assassination of Hariri and 20 others in a Beirut truck bombing on February 14.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad insisted last week that his country was "100 percent innocent."

But the German news magazine Stern said this week that Mehlis would name Assad's brother-in-law, Syrian military intelligence chief Asef Shawkat, as a suspect in the deadly blast.

Shawkat is widely seen as the second most powerful man in Syria after Assad. For Mehlis to point the finger at a member of Assad's inner circle would be political dynamite.

Annan warned reporters on Wednesday against seeking to exaggerate or politicize the report ahead of its release.

"Mehlis's report is the beginning, not the end, because the magistrates and others will have to follow through on that report and decide whom to charge and whom to bring to the dock," the U.N. leader said.

U.S. WANTS TOUGH ACTION

The United States, France and Britain have been discussing two possible U.N. resolutions as follow-up to the report. No texts have been drawn up, although each party has a wish list, diplomats said.

Syria and Lebanon were an important focus during U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit last week to London, Paris and Moscow, where she tried to rally support for punitive action against Damascus.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Washington planned to study the report carefully before responding.

"We have been in consultations and discussions with a number of other countries on what the contingencies might be and what our reaction would be," he said.

Lebanon has already arrested four pro-Syrian Lebanese security chiefs and charged them with murder on Mehlis's recommendation. Diplomats and political sources in Lebanon said Mehlis will also name Syrian officials in his report.

Last week, Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan was found dead in his office, his apparent suicide coming three weeks after he was questioned by the Mehlis's team,

Judicial sources in Beirut said this week that a key Syrian witness detained in France had been charged with murder in connection with Hariri's death.

French police detained Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq on Sunday on an international warrant because they believed he had an indirect role in Hariri's killing and had misled international investigators, the sources said.

IMPACT ON REGION

Mehlis's report could have a broad impact in the Middle East. Diplomats said it could bolster U.S.-led efforts to force Syria to cooperate with the inquiry, end alleged meddling in Lebanon and Iraq and stop supporting Palestinian militants.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed al-Mualem said France and the United States would use the report to launch a phased plan to isolate Syria and impose economic sanctions on it.

"The first stage consists in influencing Arab countries so that we cut our relations with Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. We are now at the second stage, which aims to isolate us," Mualem told France's Le Figaro in an interview published on Thursday.

"The next one will be to impose economic sanctions via a U.N. resolution. But we think that the Russians and the Chinese will oppose these sanctions," he said.

In Paris, a Foreign Ministry statement called that report incorrect. France was "waiting for the reports to be submitted, made public and discussed in the Security Council before deciding what its next steps should be," the statement said.

The United States and France have led a diplomatic campaign that helped force Syria to end its 29-year troop presence in Lebanon in April. They were also instrumental in setting up the U.N. inquiry into Hariri's death.

The Security Council will discuss the report next week and consider its response. The council will also consider a Lebanese request for continued U.N. help to bring to trial the suspects in the assassination.

The Beirut government wants Mehlis, who began work in June, to extend his mission to mid-December and says it would prefer an international court to handle the trial of any suspects.

(Additional reporting by Nadim Ladki in Beirut)

Syrian interior minister Ghazi Kanaan commits suicide

2005-10-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

By Suleiman al-Khalidi

DAMASCUS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan committed suicide in his office on Wednesday, the state news agency said, three weeks after he was questioned by a U.N. team probing the killing of a former Lebanese premier.

The U.N.'s chief investigator is expected to issue his report to the Security Council next week on the investigation into the February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

"The minister of interior died in his office this afternoon after committing suicide and the authorities are investigating the incident," the SANA agency said in a report.

The Syrian government issued a statement mourning Kanaan's death but gave no other details.

Kanaan, who was Syria's top official in Lebanon for two decades until 2002, had been interviewed by U.N. investigators in a team led by Detlev Mehlis.

Four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals have been arrested and charged in connection with Hariri's murder. Many Lebanese say Syria ordered the killing but Damascus has repeatedly denied any links.

Hours before the news broke, Kanaan spoke to a Lebanese radio station, denying reports in Lebanese media that he showed the U.N. investigators cheques paid to him by the late Hariri.

"I think this is the last statement I might give," Kanaan said at the end of the phone interview with Voice of Lebanon.

"My testimony ... was to shed the light on an era during which we have served Lebanon. Sadly some media outlets have reported lies to mislead public opinion," he said.

"I want to make clear that our relation with our brothers in Lebanon was based on love and mutual respect ... We have served Lebanon's interest with honour and honesty."

Kanaan, a 63-year-old Baathist major general, was the head of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon from 1982 till 2002.

He was appointed interior minister in 2004. In 2002, he was appointed as chief of the Syrian Political Security Directorate.

Earlier this year, the U.S. treasury announced it was freezing the assets of Kanaan and his successor as Syria's top official in Lebanon, General Rustom Ghazali, in a move it said was "intended to financially isolate bad actors supporting Syria's efforts to destabilize its neighbors".

The Lebanese Central Bank last month opened up the accounts of both men to the U.N. investigators.

Kanaan was married with four sons and two daughters.

Police Releases Sketch of Chidiac's Assailant with 'Get Him' Plea to Public

2005-10-09T01:47:00.000-07:00

Police have released a sketch of a suspect in May Chidiac's assassination attempt in what was seen by the Beirut media Sunday as a potential breakthrough in the investigation of Sept. 25 booby-trap car explosion that chopped off the right arm and right leg of the LBCI's ace anchorwoman.

The identikit was carried by the Sunday editions of Lebanese dailies with a detailed description that listed the suspect's medium height at 170 centimeter, in his thirties, with black hair combed backward, honey-colored eyes, light brunette facial features and clean-shaven.

The sketch was released to the media and written press at the instructions of examining magistrate Adnan Bulbul, who urged citizens to telephone any information about the suspect to the Police Detective Department.

It was the second identikit to be released of a suspect in the spate of assassinations, attempted assassinations and terrorist bombings that hit Lebanon in the past 12 months, including the one-ton bomb that killed Ex-Premier Hariri, ex-Economy Minister Bassel Fleihan and 21 others, including 6 bodyguards, on Feb. 14.

The last previous identikit was of a suspect in the assassination of Communist Party Ideologue George Hawi, who was murdered June 21 by a booby-trap planted in his car like slain anti-Syria An Nahar columnist Samir Kassir June 2 and Chidiac Sept. 25.

The identikit of the Hawi suspect did not help track down the assassins. But Press reports on Sunday sounded optimistic about tracking down the Chidiac would-be assassin.

Chidiac, 42, has been removed from intensive care at Beirut Hotel Dieu Hospital to a private room equipped with a TV set at her request. Her treatment still needs weeks in hospital.

US Official: Syria's Reaction to Hariri Probe was Inadequate

2005-10-08T02:51:00.000-07:00

By Michel Abu Najm

Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat- Syria should have adopted a firm stance regarding the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al Hariri and collaborated with the UN investigation into the murder headed by German judge Detlev Mehlis who is excepted to present his conclusions later this month, according to informed US sources.

Speaking to Asharq al Awsat, US officials indicated that, “Syrian President Bashar Assad should have announced he wanted the truth to emerge immediately after doubts rose on possible Syrian involvement and affirmed his readiness to punish all those who planned or took part in the planning of Hariri’s murder or those who carried out the assassination.”

This readiness, the sources added, “would have strengthened Assad’s position and enabled Syria to take part in the search for the truth instead of being an isolated party in the probe.”

According to these sources, when officials speaks of possible Syrian involvement “they do not necessarily mean the highest echelons of power in Damascus and do not dispute that the responsibility may lie with the lower levels”, giving the president room for maneuver and breathing space in the international arena.

In spite of this, the US administration appeared to have already decided to depose the current leadership, “but has yet to find the way to do so or a suitable alternative,” to hand power to in Damascus, the sources added. Accordingly, the current US government, under President George W. Bush, was examining “three difference scenarios for the next stage after the UN report is published, including Damascus agrees to surrender one or two officials in the hope of saving the regime.

A number of subterfuges might be used by the US government prior to its involvement in Syria , such as a stray bomb on Syrian territory or a missile by US forces in Iraq which “accidentally” hits its neighbor.

For their part, informed French sources revealed that the US has already opted for regime change in Syria , with “a faction in the US administration ready to gamble to induce this chance as it believes that any development in Syria is better for US interests, including chaos as it might turn out positive.”

So far, the French have continue to affirm that “they are not interested in developments in Damascus as they focus firmly on Lebanon and the application of UN security council resolutions 1559 and 1595, as well as insisting on discovering the truth behind Hariri’s murder.”

In the last week, Paris , Washington , and London have held a series of meetings to coordinate their actions after the UN report is published, included the role of the security council in a trial for the accused and the type and powers of this court.

Paris has called on the US administration to “practice restraint and moderation” regarding Syria and warned Washington from the consequences of “violent regime change” on the region and Lebanon especially. French sources said their government had “succeeded” until now in reining in the US government but protested that Syria was “not helping” in this regard.

UN to submit report on Hariri murder on time: Lebanon PM

2005-10-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

ABU DHABI (AFP) - Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said the UN team probing the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri will present its report on time at the end of October but may extend its mission.

"Let it be clear that he will present his report on time," Siniora told the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television, referring to German magistrate Detlev Mehlis who is heading the probe.

"He will present his report, but there are a few other ongoing things that he will be carrying out" afterwards, Siniora said during a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"I do not have any information at all about this report or its contents because Mr Detlev Mehlis has still not started to draft this report," he said.

Mehlis is due to submit his report to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Lebanese officials on October 21, three days before his commission's mandate expires.

Lebanese press reports quoted on Monday the prime minister as saying that Mehlis was seeking to extend his commission's mission until December 15.

Asked about the report, Annan's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters: "Technically, an extension could be done until December 15 within the existing mandate ... But we have not received a request for an extension."

Dujarric said Mehlis was still writing his report with a target date of late October.

Four top pro-Syrian security officials in Lebanon have been arrested over the February 14 killing of Hariri in a massive Beirut bomb blast that plunged the country into political turmoil.

Mehlis has also visited Syria twice to question security officials, amid widespread allegations in Lebanon that Damascus had a hand in the killing.

In Abu Dhabi, Siniora held talks early Monday with UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan on an upcoming international conference due to be held by year's end in Beirut to help Lebanon's reform and development.

Lebanon is seeking to launch a program of reforms to reduce its ballooning 35.5 billion dollars annual national debt through a regime of privatizations and the reorganization of its public sector.

Saad Hariri says Lahoud has no legitimacy

2005-10-05T01:36:00.000-07:00

The Daily Star - Lebanon

PARIS: Lebanese MP Saad Hariri, son and political heir of assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, criticized President Emile Lahoud, saying he has "no legitimacy - not in Lebanon nor internationally." In an interview published on Tuesday in Al-Hayat newspaper, Hariri said that he had left the country after a plot to kill him was uncovered.

Hariri has been living abroad for two months, citing security fears after a series of bombings and assassinations that followed his father's killing on February 14 fuelled concerns the country was sliding into chaos.

Hariri told the London-based Arabic newspaper he had left the country on the advice of foreign powers because of threats to his life. "But we also captured some people and knew their whereabouts in Lebanon and what they were plotting to do," he said. "We had confirmed

information about groups planning for this [assassination] attempt," he told the paper in Paris without giving further details.

Hariri added: "President Emile Lahoud is trying to interfere in everything, while everybody knows that the extension of his term came under intimidation and pressures exerted by the Syrian authorities."

As to calls for Lahoud's resignation, Hariri said: "The time was not appropriate for Lahoud's resignation, which would have caused a constitutional vacuum. But after the report by [UN probe team chief Detlev] Mehlis, we will hear a new political rhetoric in the country."

Hariri added that he had never used the parliamentary majority to impose his will, but rather "sacrificed [his] power for the interests of the country."

"The country is going through a fateful period, which we should discuss with our allies," he said.

Asked about his position regarding Hizbullah and its relations with Lahoud and Syria, Hariri said: "Hizbullah is not an ally of Lahoud and Syria; it's a Lebanese party represented in the government and hence is our ally."

He reiterated that the Lebanese security services were under the control of the Syrian ones, adding that the Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon without allowing the Lebanese to rehabilitate their security apparatuses.

Hariri also stressed the need to punish the perpetrators of the assassination of his late father as well as of the other terrorist crimes that targeted the Lebanese people.

While he expressed his complete trust in the work of the international probe committee, Hariri said he was not informed of the content of its report, "since we don't want to interfere in the committee's work and we refuse to politicize it."

Hariri also added that Majed Hamdan, the brother of the former head of the Presidential Guard Mustafa Hamdan, who is being held in jail for his involvement in Hariri's murder, had fled the country after knowing that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

He added the series of assassinations and terrorist attacks targeting the Christian areas were perpetrated by Lebanese people seeking to provoke fear among the Christian leaders.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday by his press office, Hariri congratulated the Lebanese, in particular the Muslims, for the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

While he hoped that this month would witness the uncovering of the truth regarding the assassination of Rafik Hariri and later former Minister Bassel Fleihan, Hariri urged the Lebanese people to promote solidarity and adhere to the values of Ramadan.

Ousting Assad without a backup plan

2005-10-05T01:14:00.000-07:00

Asia Times Online
By Ehsan Ahrari

There are reports in the Western media that the inquiry of special UN investigator Deltev Mehlis into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, is nearing a conclusion. Four actors, who are either interested in it or will be affected by it, are driven by varying and somewhat conflicting agendas.

The US is hoping to use the Mehlis report to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanon wants to use it to rehabilitate its national sovereignty. The Arab states are worried about the potential instability in Syria, which is next door to Iraq, and about the erosion of another Arab state that can pose even a semblance of challenge to Israel. Israel, on the contrary, is anticipating the removal of a thorn from its side. Then, it will only have to concentrate on confronting Iran.

The least-contemplated aspect of a potential regime change in Syria might be the potential rise of influence and potency of pan-jihadi forces in Syria, if the Assad regime is ousted with the same lack of regard to having a stable government taking its place as happened at the time of the US invasion of Iraq.

It is not Syria's alleged involvement in Hariri's assassination that is bothering the Bush administration. Rather, it is Syria's role related to the rising tide of insurgency in Iraq that is immeasurably frustrating the US. America's stakes in Iraq are appearing too grim, and Syria, more than Iran, is getting the blame because the insurgency is predominantly Sunni.

Even though Assad's regime in Syria represents the rule of the Alawite sect (which is Shi'ite), Syria is a predominantly Sunni state. As such, the Sunni insurgents of Iraq are reported to be finding considerable sympathy in Syria. Since not much that happens inside its borders escapes the attention of the Syrian regime, the United States has a point in concluding that the Assad regime has kept a relaxed attitude toward the cross-border activities of the Iraqi insurgents.

What is still not clear is how the US would go about removing Assad. First of all, clear enough evidence has to come out of Mehlis' report. And Mehlis is his own man. He is not likely to be influenced or pressured by the US. What if the report provides not even a semblance of "indictment" of Assad's regime? What if only the low-level officials were involved? Finally, how credible are the Syrian "witnesses" or "whistle-blowers" who are currently talking to Mehlis and his team of investigators?

Regardless whether Mehlis' report blames the Assad regime, there is little doubt that Lebanon is a winner. Syria is already out of that country. It will be a matter of time before its sovereignty is reestablished there. And the reasons for that development have a lot to do with the current regional environment rather than just the ouster of Syrian forces.

The presence of American forces in Iraq has been making Syria quite uncomfortable. Gone are the days when it could stay put in Lebanon and drag its feet indefinitely about getting out. Gone are the days when the absence of Arab consensus about getting Syria out of Lebanon served as their tacit endorsement of its presence in Lebanon. Also gone are the days when Lebanon did not matter much in the larger Arab political picture.

The US has been quite effective in making its opposition felt about Syria's presence in Lebanon. Realizing how effective that opposition has been, Washington does not want to stop there. There is ample reason to keep Syria on a short leash: Syria may not be responsible for the assassination of Hariri but if it can be proved that Assad's regime was involved, then some way would have to be found for Assad's removal.

Under the worse-case scenario from the vantage point of Washington - that no persuasive evidence can be found about the involvement of anyone close to Assad in the Hariri assassination - still ample pressure is likely to be placed on the Syrian dictator to step down. The Bush administration knows that under such a scenario the objective of regime change in Syria would be difficult to achieve, but it may still carried out sooner or later. However, by emphasizing the sovereignty of Lebanon, the US has enhanced the significance of that country at the expense of diminishing (or at least attempting to diminish) that of Syria's. That is done on purpose, even though Syria is important both as an Arab state and as frontline state in the continued Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Arab states are watching with utmost concern what the Bush administration is attempting to achieve. The toppling of Saddam Hussein has removed one important Arab state as a potential challenger of Israel. Now it is Syria's turn. Syria's military power is no match to that of Israel's. But there was always the chance that Syria would remain a respectable confrontational state vis-a-vis Israel as long as the Arab-Israeli conflict remained unresolved. That might be wishful thinking on the part of Arab states; however, they have no realistic opportunity of resolving that obdurate conflict, especially in the post-September 11 era.

For Israel, its immediate neighborhood is appearing less threatening. Saddam Hussein is awaiting trial. Iraq has become a bloody mess, with not a lick of hope that it would ever emerge as a military challenge to the Jewish state. As the Bush administration focuses its attention on a possible regime change in Syria, Israel gets an enormous sense of invincibility, not just on the basis of its own considerable military power, but also on the perceived weakened state of military prowess of its neighbors. This is a reality that may be changed for at least the next two decades.

But the Middle East as a region may not remain rosy if Assad is toppled. There is nothing pan-Jihadist forces of the Middle East wish at the current time more than seeing a widened area of chaos and turbulence. The more the powerful forces of America, or even Israel, get involved in establishing the Western (or as the Islamists would call the Judeo-Christian) version of order, the less their chances of success.

A safe option from the perspectives of order and stability would be that there is no regime change in Syria. If that were to happen under unavoidable circumstances, the UN and the international community should remain in charge in securing and stabilizing Syria. Iraq has proved how bloody the battle can become in attempting to occupy it. Syria is not likely to be any less bloody or chaotic.

(Ehsan Ahrari is an independent strategic analyst based in Alexandria, VA, US. His columns appear regularly in Asia Times Online. He is also a regular contributor to the Global Beat Syndicate. His website: www.ehsanahrari.com.)

Endgame in Syria: This time, no deal

2005-10-05T01:02:00.000-07:00

By Edward S. Walker International Herald Tribune

WASHINGTON In 1984, when President Ronald Reagan withdrew U.S. forces from Beirut after a suicide attack killed 244 marines, the conservative Republican and sometime presidential candidate Pat Buchanan said, "It is dangerous to be America's enemy, but fatal to be America's friend."

Since then, the people of Lebanon have had good reason to recall those words. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush traded Lebanese sovereignty for President Hafez Assad's support in the first Gulf War. Kuwait was freed, Lebanon was ceded to Syria.

Today, various regional media outlets report that the sons, George W. and Bashar, may be working on another Faustian deal, an arrangement driven by realpolitik considerations, not ideological convictions.

Bashar Assad, taking a page out of Muammar el-Qaddafi's playbook, is alleged to be negotiating with the Bush administration to protect his regime from the findings of a UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. The car bombing that killed Hariri precipitated protests in Lebanon and around the world that forced an end to Syria's 15-year occupation.

The Beirut spring was a rare and unequivocal success for the Bush administration as it struggled but failed to stem the political chaos and escalating violence next door in Iraq. Bush took a principled stand in a truly multilateral framework. Courageous Lebanese, coupled with support from international community, won Lebanon's independence.

As the last Syrian soldiers crossed the border, however, an insidious campaign began to destabilize Lebanon. Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa has admitted that "a somewhat professional terrorist phantom" is at work. Scores of bombs targeting Christian areas have given rise to vigilante groups and heightened sectarian tensions. In short, the security situation in Lebanon has deteriorated so dramatically that many are taking extraordinary precautions to protect themselves and their families.

Contrast this state of fear with people's fearlessness on March 14, when a million rallied to demand and end to Syria's suffocating presence.

Now, those Lebanese who counted on Bush's support in the spring are increasingly concerned that he has agreed to cut a deal with Assad that would short-circuit the report of the UN investigator, Detlev Mehlis, by granting top officials in Syria immunity in exchange for significant support with Iraq, Lebanon, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and elsewhere.

This is not just a critical juncture for Lebanon, but for Syria and the United States as well.

To curtail or soften the Mehlis report, particularly if Mehlis's mandate is extended at the end of October, would rob Assad of the opportunity to clear himself. Assad has repeatedly asserted his innocence. If overzealous subordinates are implicated, and the trail stops there, he could rally public support for an overhaul of his own regime. If such a move were accompanied by greater civil liberties and fewer secret police, Syrians would probably back his presidency as he struggled to root out those loyal to Hariri's assassins.

Bush should demand nothing less. If Bashar does not have the power to bring the guilty to justice, the regime in Syria should suffer international isolation and stringent sanctions.

For Bush, the choice is between further eroding American credibility by cutting a deal or even appearing to do so, or reinforcing universal values that remain a beacon to the world's oppressed and powerless. This should be a foreign policy red line: Washington cannot advocate for the rule of law if foreign policy considerations can exempt murderers from prosecution.

Mehlis should be allowed to continue his investigation for as long as he deems it necessary, and without interference or obstruction from either Washington or Damascus. This is not only in Lebanon's interest, but in the interests of Syria and the United States as well. Otherwise, those forces at work destabilizing Lebanon would be emboldened to continue working their way down what Western diplomats allege to be a hit list of Lebanese officials, intellectuals and journalists.

The global campaign of Europe and the United States to end tyranny and instill democracy will be dealt a serious blow if Beirut's spring is as short-lived as Czechoslovakia's was in 1968.

(Edward S. Walker, president and chief executive of the Middle East Institute in Washington, is a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs.)

He's a 'hakeem' worthy of the name

2005-10-03T02:16:00.000-07:00

By Adib F. Farha

Maybe it was the 11 years of incarceration, solitary confinement and profound introspection. Or maybe it was one of the lessons of the Cedar Revolution. But the new political agenda of the Lebanese Forces as expressed by its leader Dr. Samir Geagea at a rally organized by his supporters in Paris earlier this week is a landmark event in Lebanese politics.

After years of advocating federalism in the tiny nation-state that would entail carving out a Christian canton, which would extend from the so-called Christian East Beirut to the northernmost town in Mount Lebanon , the Hakeem, as Geagea's supporters like to call him, announced a radical shift in the LF's political agenda.

"We used to describe our territory in the past as stretching from Kfarshima to the Madfoun and we can say nowadays it stretches from Kbayyet to the Kleiaa," said Dr. Geagea.

Kfarshima and Madfoun would have represented the northern and the southern tips of the canton the LF dreamed of establishing, while Kbayyet lies in the extreme north of the country and Kleiaa is practically on the Lebanese-Israeli border. Even to his former opponents, the Hakeem proved that he is worthy of his nickname. Hakeem is Arabic for "wise man" although Dr. Geagea originally earned the nickname because the term is also used to refer to a physician.

The Hakeem's declaration is perhaps the most significant event in Lebanon 's recent history. It is no less significant than the withdrawal of Syrian military personnel from Lebanon on April 26 of this year.

Angered by the excesses of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon during the late sixties and the early seventies and frustrated by the support that the PLO had amongst Lebanese Muslims, whose leadership saw in the PLO a Trojan horse that they could ride to well-deserved broader political participation, the Christian Lebanese Forces gave up on the idea of a united Lebanon in which they could live side by side with their Muslim compatriots. The outcome was 16 years of bloody civil strife that cost the country 170,000 lives, hundreds of thousands of maimed and injured citizens and nearly $100 billion in direct and indirect damages, according to a World Bank estimate.

The Civil War ended officially in 1989 with the execution of a new National Accord at an internationally-sponsored conference in Taif , Saudi Arabia . Regrettably, the Accord also relegated the enforcement of the fragile peace to neighboring Syria , a country and a regime that has never accepted Lebanon as a stand-alone state.

It soon became clear that Syria 's role extended far beyond what it was intended to be. It turned Lebanon into a client state, controlled out of Anjar, a small town in the Bekaa Valley , by the head of Syrian intelligence who transformed his job into that of Lebanon 's high commissioner. He is also thought to have become the leader, or at least the point man, of a joint Syrian-Lebanese mafia that raped the country and its economy.

Fearful of the LF's agenda and suspicious of its history of collaborating with Israel , Syria framed Geagea in 1994 for a crime of which he was later cleared. Despite an amnesty law that covered all acts of violence preceding its enactment, it masterminded multiple death sentences against him for crimes he had allegedly committed during the war years.

For 11 years, the Hakeem was held in solitary confinement in a dungeon at the Lebanese Defense Ministry, three floors underground. His cell was smaller than two-and-a-half meters by two-and-a-half meters. Since he was not allowed to receive newspapers, magazines or political books, the Hakeem spent his time reading up on theology, philosophy and history; in prayer; and on introspection.

In the aftermath of the Cedar Revolution Parliament enacted a new Amnesty Law last month that ended Geagea's prison nightmare. His first appearance after his release revealed a frail and almost breathless ageing man - but he was feisty as ever. The major difference from the Geagea of yesteryear, however, was that the man's thinking had clearly evolved dramatically.

Even before his release, the LF had started to reach out to its former enemies. They demonstrated shoulder to shoulder with former Muslim and Druze militiamen during the March 14 rally; ran alongside them on common slates in the parliamentary elections in June and July; and demonstrated a newfound determination to forge a lasting Christian-Muslim partnership. The LF had realized that Lebanon is too small to be partitioned and that it is the destiny of all Lebanese to unite if Lebanon is to stand on its feet again.

The battle for the de-Baathification of Lebanon and for the full restoration of freedoms is far from over. Nevertheless, the Hakeem's wisdom is bound to speed it up. His new outlook deserves to be recognized, reciprocated and supported.

Adib Farha , a Lebanese political analyst residing in the U.S., wrote this commentary for The Daily Star . He may be reached by e-mail at adibfarha@yahoo.com

Syria says no need for Lebanese market to fill jobs

2005-10-03T01:47:00.000-07:00

By Osama Habib
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: A senior Syrian official said that there is no need for Syrians to work in Lebanon anymore because the massive investments in his country will be more than sufficient to create plenty of employment opportunities. "The Syrians do not have to go to Lebanon to find jobs because the Gulf and European investments in Syria are expected to reach $16 billion," the Syrian deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardary told the Al-Iktissad wal-Aamal monthly business magazine.

Following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, Lebanese-Syrian relations turned sour as thousands

of Syrian laborers fled in fear of their lives from Lebanon.

Syrian workers were the bulk of the laborforce in Lebanon for more than 10 years.

Economists estimated the number of Syrian workers at more than 350,000 but some quarters claimed that the number was as high as one million.

The Syrian government, which is under pressure form the United States and the West, claimed that dozens of Syrian laborers were killed in Lebanon after the assassination of Hariri.

Syria is concerned that the UN team investigating the assassination of Hariri might accuse some Syrian security officials who, until a few months ago were based in Lebanon, of being behind the killing of Hariri.

"The rule of the economic game with Lebanon has drastically changed," Dardary said, adding that Syria is getting a lot of offers from Arab and foreign firms to invest in the country.

Dardary said that the giant Emaar real estate company is planning to build $6 billion worth of projects in Syria.

He added that Dubai's Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum has asked Syria for a list of the major investment projects offered for foreign investment.

"In addition, Syria has signed $10 billion worth of investment projects with Gulf and German companies," Dardary said, adding that his country is committed to economic reforms.

The Syrian official dismissed the international pressures against his country.

"They (the West) apply pressure on Syria and at the same time they make investments in it."

He also downplayed the importance of the depreciation of the Syrian pound recently, stressing that Syria has sufficient foreign currency reserves to last it for the whole year.

Dardary did not conceal Syria's anger at the bilateral trade agreement with Lebanon, claiming that his country made lot of concessions to the Lebanese government.

"The economic liberalization in Syria will reduce its dependence on Lebanon."

He added that the Syrians do not have to deposit their money in Lebanese banks anymore because Damascus has its own banking system.

However, some bankers believe that Syrian depositors will not pullout their assets from Lebanese banks in the near future because the banking system in Syria is not yet fully developed.

UN to seek more time in Hariri probe, Lebanon says

2005-10-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Source: Reuters

BEIRUT, Oct 2 (Reuters) - A U.N. team investigating the killing of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri will ask for an extension of its mandate until mid-December, the Lebanese premier said on Sunday.

A U.N. team led by German prosecuter Detlev Mehlis is due to report to the Security Council by October 25 on the February assassination which plunged Lebanon into its worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The Security Council has already extended the inquiry's original three-month deadline once but Mehlis now looks set to ask for more time.

"I think (Mehlis) will take all the necessary measures so his mission continues until December 15, which was the period originally assigned to him by the Security Council," Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told reporters, giving no explanation.

The Security Council ordered the U.N. investigation after a fact-finding mission concluded Lebanon was incapable of conducting a credible inquiry of its own.

It gave Mehlis three months but he was allowed to ask for a maximum of three extra months, taking the probe to mid-December.

It was not clear why Mehlis might need more time, but diplomatic sources have said his team had not ruled out returning to Damascus for more interviews with Syrian officials.

U.N. investigators last month quizzed several Syrian officials over the assassination of Hariri and 20 others in a truck bombing many Lebanese blame on Damascus.

Syria has denied any role in the bombing that killed Hariri or an ensuing string of blasts and assassinations that has rocked its smaller neighbour.

A U.N. official declined to comment on extending the inquiry but diplomatic sources said it was up to the Security Council to decide if Mehlis would get more time.

"The decision to extend the mandate is the sole sovereign decision of the Security Council," a diplomatic source said. "Either way, he must report to the Security Council on October 25."

Mehlis left Beirut on Sunday, airport sources said, and it was not clear when he would return.

Neither side has named the Syrian officials interviewed by U.N. investigators but political sources in Lebanon say they include senior intelligence officers working in Lebanon at the time of the blast and their commanders in Damascus.

Lebanon has already arrested four pro-Syrian generals in connection with Hariri's killing and charged them with murder. Their lawyers say they are innocent.

Hariri's killing sparked mass anti-Syrian protests in Beirut that forced Damascus to bow to international pressure and end a 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April.

Attempt on Lebanese judge's life fails

2005-10-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

ZEINA KARAM

Associated Press

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A possible attempt to assassinate a Lebanese judge was foiled Saturday after neighbors alerted him to suspicious activity around his car and police found batteries and wires beneath the vehicle, security officials said.

No trace of explosives was found near the car of Judge Nazem Khoury, who is overseeing the investigation into the financial scandals of Lebanon's Al-Madina Bank and ordered its closure.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements, said Khoury had recently received threats from unknown sources.

The incident comes as a U.N.-mandated probe into former Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination nears its end and amid a spate of bombings targeting politicians, journalists as well as commercial and residential areas continues.

The security officials said Khoury's neighbors in the town of Sahel Alma, north of Beirut, noticed suspicious activity around his car at 2 a.m. Saturday and alerted the judge. When Khoury checked from his balcony, he saw a man jump away and leave on a motorcycle with another man.

Police found batteries with wires attached under the car, in addition to cut wires under the steering wheel. Experts and police dogs found no trace of explosives and it was not clear if it was an attempt to assassinate Khoury or sabotage his car.

Khoury is overseeing the case of the scandal-ridden Al-Madina Bank, where a cash deficit of more than $300 million and other irregularities became public in July 2003.

The fugitive chairman of the bank filed a lawsuit in May claiming that the former chief of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon and three of his brothers embezzled more than $70 million in depositors' money.

The incident Saturday comes less than a week after a television anchorwoman narrowly escaped an assassination attempt through a bomb placed under her car. The journalist, May Chidiac, lost her left leg and arm in the blast and is still in intensive care.

The government has warned of the potential for more violence ahead of the release of results of the U.N. Hariri investigation.

UN probe seen fingering Syrians in Hariri killing

2005-09-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Source: Reuters

LONDON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis is likely in October to name Syrian officials as suspects in the assassination of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, political and diplomatic sources say.

"All indications are that Mehlis will implicate some Syrian officials in the case," one Lebanese political source said. At least two other sources, from different sides of Lebanon's political spectrum, and a diplomat concurred.

Such a move would bring Syria under international pressure to give up indicted suspects for trial and intensify calls for pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud to resign, they added.

It could also provoke further instability in Lebanon, where bombings and assassinations since Hariri's Feb. 14 killing have created the worst security crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Many Lebanese already blame Syria and some of its Lebanese allies for the bomb that killed Hariri and 20 others in Beirut.

Mehlis took a team of investigators to Damascus last week to question at least seven Syrian officials, political sources said. The questioning lasted four days and the sources say those interviewed included senior intelligence officers in Lebanon at the time of Hariri's killing and their superiors in Damascus.

After Mehlis's trip, Syrian officials said their country was cooperating and that the investigator had no Syrian suspects.

Mehlis, due to make his findings public by Oct. 24, has revealed few details of his investigation. A U.N. official in Beirut declined to comment on its likely outcome.

Lebanon has already arrested four pro-Syrian generals, on Mehlis's recommendation, and charged them with murder.

"The work of the investigators is almost done. They have broken the case. Mehlis will go all the way and charge Syrian officials," another Lebanese political source said.

In September the central bank lifted secrecy rules and ordered banks to let investigators see the accounts of several Syrian and Lebanese figures, bankers said. They asked not to be named.

The bankers said the accounts belong to the four Lebanese generals, Syria's former intelligence chief in Lebanon Rustum Ghazali and his predecessor Ghazi Kanaan, who is now Interior Minister, as well as their wives and children. Ghazali and Kanaan were among those questioned by the U.N. team in Damascus last week, Lebanese political sources say.

DEFECTOR, PHONE INTERCEPTS

They say a key element in the investigation is the testimony of a Syrian military defector who says he attended meetings at which Hariri's killing was discussed.

Syrian sources have sought to discredit the defector, whom they identify as Mohammed Siddiq, calling him a low-ranking soldier who had spent time in jail for fraud and then deserted.

A security source close to the inquiry said telephone intercepts on the day of Hariri's killing had provided another piece of the jigsaw. Investigators believe the truck bomb was detonated remotely, possibly by an infrared device to bypass jamming equipment in Hariri's motorcade, the source added.

The U.N. probe is concerned only with Hariri's killing, but many Lebanese also blame Damascus for subsequent bomb attacks that have fuelled fears the country may slide back into chaos.

Once an ally of Syria, Lebanese Defence Minister Elias al-Murr stunned his compatriots on Monday when he said he had fallen out with Ghazali a year ago and received death threats in January. Murr survived an attempt on his life in July.

He told LBC television by telephone from Zurich that he had spent periods abroad before the attack "because the security agencies at that time were not interested in...protecting (me)".

Syria rejected Murr's remarks as "lies".

The heads of the security agencies referred to by Murr are the four generals arrested in connection with Hariri's killing.

Their arrests have already increased pressure on President Lahoud to resign. He has rejected calls to step down ever since the assassination of Hariri, his bitterest rival.

Hariri's killing sparked street protests and global pressure that forced Syria to end its 29-year troop presence in Lebanon.

Whatever the outcome of the U.N. inquiry, political sources say prosecutors are likely to try to bring the case before an international criminal court because it is seen as too big for Lebanon's judiciary to handle alone.

Lebanon's army tighten grip on Palestinian militia

2005-09-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Source: Reuters

BEIRUT, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's army has tightened controls around the posts of a pro-Syrian Palestinian guerrilla group which faces pressure to disarm under the terms of a U.N. Security Council resolution, security sources said on Thursday.

Army units erected checkpoints and beefed up its presence around the positions of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) in al-Naemeh, just south of Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley, the sources said.

They were speaking on condition of anonymity and did not give further details. Palestinian sources said the army's move was unusual and described it as politically motivated.

The Security Council's resolution 1559 demands the disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militia, a reference to the Hizbollah guerrilla group and Palestinian factions. U.N. special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen discussed the issue of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo on Wednesday in relation to resolution 1559, a U.N. official in Beirut told Reuters.

He gave no further details on the meeting's outcome.

Resolution 1559 was passed in 2004, demanding the withdrawal of all Syrian troops and intelligence from Lebanon and the disarmament of all militia gropups.

Syria pulled its troops out in April 2005, 2 months after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri which sparked a wave of protests.

Syria and the Hariri murder

2005-09-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

The Washington Times - TODAY'S EDITORIAL

In a rare instance of U.N. willingness to vigorously investigate rogue states implicated in terrorism, the team investigating the Feb. 14 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 20 other people appears to be building a case that the Syrian government was behind the murder. Lebanese and Syrian dissidents assert that the Syrian Ba'athist regime of Bashar Assad could be destabilized if the probe, headed by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, concludes that it had a hand in the slaying.

Mr. Assad, who has said from the start that his government had nothing to do with Mr. Hariri's death, has good reason to be concerned about the U.N. investigation. In March, the Beirut Daily Star published excerpts from a U.N. fact-finding commission. The panel's report constituted a scathing indictment of the performance of Syrian Military Intelligence and Syrian-dominated Lebanese security services, which it criticized for having "demonstrated serious and systematic negligence in carrying out the duties usually performed by a professional national security apparatus," saying that both "bear primary responsibility for the lack of security, protection, law and order in Lebanon." The U.N. report said that last year, when Mr. Hariri tried to persuade Mr. Assad not to extend the term of Lebanese President Emil Lahoud by three years, Mr. Assad responded by threatening him with physical harm.

Syria may attempt to cut a deal, just as Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi did in connection with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Col. Gadhafi handed two Libyan intelligence agents over for trial in an international court in exchange for a promise that the investigation would not implicate senior members of his regime. For now, the Bush administration has ruled out such a solution in Syria's case.

Even though Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon five months ago, the threat from Syrian intelligence agents remains a major concern in Lebanon. Over the past year, Lebanese critics of Syria have been victimized by a grisly series of bombings, and prominent Lebanese politicians, including Rafiq Hariri's son, Sa'ad, recently elected prime minister of the country, and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt have been spending a great deal of time in Europe -- allegedly for fear of assassination by Syrian operatives. Earlier this year, the U.S. government warned that prominent Lebanese had been targeted for assassination pro-Syrian elements.

The Lebanese believe that danger mounts as international pressure against Syria increases and Mr. Assad seeks new ways to create trouble in order to deflect attention from the Hariri investigation. The coming weeks could be an extremely difficult time for the people of that country.

Why is Mehlis tightlipped about his Syrian interrogations?

2005-09-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

Beirut, Lebanon- Mehlis returned last Saturday from Syria, but left his team in Damascus to continue the interrogation of the Syrian officials. The team has since returned on Tuesday Sept. 27, but Mehlis continues to be tightlipped about the results of his investigations in Syria. The big question is why?

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, met with (chief U.N. investigator of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri), German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, in the government house, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005. Details of their discussions were not disclosed, but Mehlis met late Tuesday with Justice Minister Charles Rizk. "What Mr. Mehlis told me is of such importance," Rizk told reporters Wednesday, that he had asked Saniora to meet with the German investigator as soon as possible.

All the U.N. investigators returned to Lebanon after questioning officials in Syria, whose army and intelligence units were in control of Lebanon when a massive bombing targeted Hariri's motorcade on a Beirut street, killing Hariri and 20 others.

There is a lot of speculation about the problems Mehlis' mission faced in Damascus.

Syria did not cooperate as required. Syria made it difficult for the investigators to extract any information from the Syrian offices:

1- Syria appointed an attorney for each one of the officials. The attorney must have made it legally very difficult for interrogators to extract information from the officials.
2- Syrian security personnel were also present during the interrogations. Again this must have made it difficult to the UN interrogators to extract information from the officials.
3- Ya Libnan has learnt that the Syrian officials have been rehearsing the interrogations for a long time and had special workshops conducted by expert interrogators to teach them how to handle interrogations.

Elias Murr, Lebanese defense Minister disclosed that he was threatened by Rustom Ghazaleh, during a phone conversation when he was the Interior Minister and accused him of engineering his attempted assassination. In July 2005, Murr miraculously survived an assassination attempt. Many people wondered if this was a diversion away from pointing at Syria, since Murr was a staunch Syrian ally. His disclosure this week points to Syria's involvement in his assassination attempt. Hariri recorded Assad's threats on his spy pen months before he was assassinated. This pattern lead UN investigator to follow up on Murr's disclosures, since it could prove that Syria was behind both assassinations. All the victims in all the Assassinations were Anti Syrian.

Mehlis had to be tightlipped until his team returned from Damascus, for fear of upsetting the applecart. Mehlis must now be sure that Syria is involved in Hariri's assassination but wants to be extremely careful in disclosing such information for security concerns. Such disclosure, (even though to most Lebanese it is public information), could result in a major political Hurricane that could change the politics of the whole region and could result in a regime change in Damascus.

Security chief's brother wanted in Hariri probe

2005-09-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

By Karen Mneimne
Special to The Daily Star

BEIRUT: An arrest warrant has been issued in absentia against Majed Hajj, the brother of the former head of Lebanon's Presidential Guard Mustafa Hamdan, currently in jail for his involvement in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.

Lebanese Military Investigating Magistrate Samih Hajj concluded his investigations yesterday into the weapons and explosives cache found in an area of Beirut, Mazraa, two months ago that led to the arrest of six residents from the Dinnieh area and issued warrants which included Hamdan, according to judiciary sources.

Hajj had also issued an in absentia an arrest warrant for Majed Hamdan for refusing to appear in court, and leaving Beirut after learning that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

President Emile Lahoud was reported to have attempted unsuccessfully to intervene and "close the file" on Majed Hamdan, according to an Al-Mustaqbal article. The article said that, as a result of this failed attempt by the president, Hamdan cancelled his return to Lebanon from China.

According to a report by Future Television citing private sources, President Lahoud had appointed retired General Joseph Saadeh to follow-up the investigation on Hamdan. The report added that official sources leaked information that an arrest warrant was being issued against Majed Hamdan, and advised him not to return to Beirut.

Hamdan is currently in Doha, Qatar. Saadeh had also met with Mustafa Hamdan in his prison cell after his arrest.

FBI investigates Lebanese anchor's death

2005-09-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

SAM F. GHATTAS

Associated Press

BEIRUT, Lebanon - FBI agents sifted through the debris Wednesday of the latest in a spate of bombings in Lebanon, American involvement certain to unnerve Syria as it comes under stepped-up U.S. pressure to stay out of its neighbor's business.

Until now, Lebanon had shied away from seeking direct U.S. assistance, although federal agents investigated a bombing in June and a U.N. probe is under way in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

But the difficulty the government has encountered in identifying those behind the explosions since Hariri's murder in February has led authorities to turn to Washington for help. Not a single arrest has been made in connection with the blasts.

FBI agents picked through metal fragments and lifted fingerprints from the site where a bomb tore through a car Sunday near the port city of Jounieh north of Beirut. The vehicle belonged to May Chidiac, a prominent anchorwoman and talk show host on a television station that has taken a line against Syria. She was maimed in the attack.

Three agents examined the destroyed vehicle. Wearing gloves, one sifted through debris and collected fragments while another shot pictures. A third took notes. Journalists were kept behind a Lebanese police cordon; team members declined to respond to requests for comment.

A black box carried by a team member was marked "explosives unit" and bore the Washington address of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Both the Lebanese government and U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman took pains to explain that the American assistance was merely technical - to provide expertise in evidence-gathering. But it also carried a message to Damascus, the former overlord of Lebanon for nearly three decades.

Syria, which was forced to withdraw its army from Lebanon in April under intense U.S. pressure, has been accused by Washington of continuing to interfere in Lebanese affairs and been warned to stay out.

In Syria, the arrival of the FBI was seen as intervention in Lebanese affairs.

"For sure, they don't like Lebanon that much. They are coming for other reasons, part of which is uncovering the bombings but most importantly to study the situation and to spy on Lebanon," said Elias Murad, editor-in-chief of Syria's state-run Al-Baath newspaper. "This is a direct intervention in Lebanese affairs that is an admission of the weakness of the Lebanese security services."

Syrian officials are reportedly the target of the U.N. probe into Hariri's assassination. The findings, expected in late October, could reach Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, giving rise to fears of increased violence in Lebanon. Damascus has denied any involvement.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has warned of more attacks and drew links between the Hariri probe and the series of bombings, which have largely targeted opponents of Syria and areas where anti-Syrian sentiment runs high.

Interior Minister Hassan Sabei underlined the government's helplessness when he said this week that Lebanon faced a "phantom" intent on destabilizing it.

The issue of any American involvement is sensitive for the Lebanese government. It is opposed by the militant Hezbollah, which Washington brands as a terrorist group, and other pro-Syrian factions, some of whom are in the government.

The attempt to kill Chidiac, who lost an arm and a leg in the explosion, provoked wide indignation in Lebanon. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations joined Lebanese politicians in condemning the bombing, while students staged protests in Beirut.

U.N. investigators returned to Lebanon on Friday after four days of questioning officials in Syria, whose army and intelligence units were in control of Lebanon when a massive bombing targeted Hariri's motorcade on a Beirut street, killing him and 20 others.

Lebanon PM vows to combat, defeat terror

2005-09-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Published September 28, 2005

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora vowed Wednesday to combat and defeat terrorism, which targeted an anti-Syria journalist last week.

"We are at war with this enemy called terrorism ... It is a continuous battle against groups that carry out terrorist activities and we will continue to chase them till the end," Siniora said.

He expected the "terrorists" to become more tense and active as the deadline for the release of the report by the international investigation committee probing former prime minister Rafik Hariri's assassination draws closer.

"Those who will be harmed by the report will become more tense because they know they will be hunted ... This is a war which will definitely win," Siniora said.

Lebanon has been rocked by several bombing attacks and assassination attempts since Hariri's Feb. 14 slaying. The latest victim of terror was journalist May Chidiac who survived a bomb explosion in her car, but lost a leg and an arm.