By: William Harris
Almost unnoticed by the global media, a crucial turning point has arrived in the U.N investigation into the murder of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, in February 2005. It is also a turning point for the credibility of the international community.
A report by the chief of the investigation, Belgian Serge Brammertz, presented to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on March 15, establishes that the specific motives for the assassination were strictly political. They involved reactions to U.N. Security Council resolution 1559, which demanded SyriaÂ’s withdrawal from Lebanon; HaririÂ’s opposition to the Syrian-driven extension of the term of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud; and HaririÂ’s bid to end pro-Syrian domination of the Lebanese regime in the May 2005 Lebanese parliamentary elections.
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