Rafik Hariri

The report did not directly blame Syria for the assassination of Hariri, an opponent of the Syrian presence in Lebanon, but said Damascus was behind the political tension and weak security that led to his death with 17 other people in a huge explosion Feb. 14.

In what could be the most damning piece of evidence, the U.N. mission said that Syrian President Bashar Assad, in a meeting with Hariri prior to his Sept. 9 resignation as prime minister, threatened him and opposition leader Walid Jumblatt with "physical harm" if they opposed extending the term of Lebanon's Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud.

The U.N.-backed probe was led by Deputy Irish Police Commissioner Peter Fitzgerald.

Opposition leaders and foreign officials had feared Hariri was killed for opposing Lahoud, who was allowed to stay in office for another term after Parliament rewrote the constitution with Syria's approval.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 2, 2005
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