Lebanese mark Hariri anniversary with dim hopes for truth (Feature)

By Weedah Hamzah Feb 13, 2010, 7:48 GMT

Beirut - Lebanon will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri on Sunday, amid fears that the UN Tribunal set to try his killers will be stalled or politicized.

'We want to know the truth behind Hariri's assassination, this is what we have been waiting for all these years,' said Lama Barghout, a Hariri supporter.

Hariri was targeted in Beirut on February 14, 2005, in a massive bomb blast that killed him and 20 others.

Hariri followers and allies have blamed Syria and their Lebanese allies of being behind his assassination, a charge that Damascus has so far vehemently denied.

Current Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son and political heir of the slain billionaire politician, expressed confidence that the truth behind the assassination of his father would be revealed through a UN special tribunal, set up a year ago in The Hague, after about four years of investigation.

'February 14th is the day when some terrorists decided to assassinate Rafik Hariri, and the international tribunal will uncover those who assassinated my father and they will be punished,' Hariri told reporters.

For Hariri followers, who gather every year on February 14th near his tomb on Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, the UN tribunal is a key hope for uncovering the truth behind the assassination of the popular Sunni Muslim leader.

'All I want before I die is to see Hariri's killers behind bars or being hanged,' said 70-year Abu Ahmed, who sells coffee along Beirut's promenade where Hariri was killed in 2005.

'For me, a simple man from a poor family, Hariri was a great leader who worked hard to unite Lebanon after the end of the civil war in 1990. He was a man who wanted to see Lebanon regain its position as the jewel of the Middle East,' Abu Ahmed said.

Hariri, who maintained strong relations with Western countries and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, was a controversial figure. For some, he was the main drive behind Lebanon's post-civil war rebuilding, for others he was a spendthrift who left the country with a huge debt.

'Numerous assassinations took place in Lebanon since the beginning of the civil war in 1975, and no one was punished. Hariri's killers thought they would also get away with killing such a man, but to their bad luck our (Lebanese) outcry on the day of the killing led to the tribunal,' said Christian Samia Aker.

Lebanese Christians and Muslims took the streets following Hariri's assassination in massive anti-Syrian demonstrations that lasted months. The popular outcry prompted Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after 29 of military occupation.

Experts note that although the Syrian army has pulled out its troops from Lebanon, Damascus still exerts considerable political influence over its smaller neighbor.

Since Hariri was assassinated, several factions have been accused, first Syria, then Shiite Movement Hezbollah, and lastly Israel.

'What scares us is that whoever decided to kill Hariri will have enough political clout to prevent them from being prosecuted,' Aker said.

The UN Tribunal has witnessed a series of setbacks, particularly following the resignation of a number of high-ranking court officials.

Tribunal registrar David Tolbert and chief prosecutor Nick Khaldas announced within the last month that they were leaving the tribunal, while the court has said no indictments were immediately likely.

UN Tribunal President Antonio Cassese, during a visit to Lebanon last week, assured the Lebanese and their leaders that the tribunal 'is functioning well.'

But Cassesse stressed that there were 'no deadlines' in issuing indictments in the case, calling it highly complex.