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United condemnation follows murder of Lebanese general
AFP, December
12, 2007
by Hala
Boncompagni
BEIRUT, Dec 12,
2007 (AFP) - The assassination on Wednesday of a senior army
commander drew a chorus of condemnation and warnings that
Lebanon's latest killing will further destabilise a nation
locked in its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990
civil war.
From Beirut to
Washington officials insisted that the killing of Brigadier
General Francois el-Hajj in a morning rush hour car bombing
should spur an end to the crisis with the country now
lacking a president and divided between pro- and anti-Syrian
politicians.
"This is a
criminal, terrorist act linked to the ruling majority's
endorsement of army chief Michel Sleiman for the
presidency," deputy parliament speaker and majority MP Farid
Makari said in a statement.
"I urge all
deputies to head quickly to parliament to elect a new
president," he said.
Lebanon has
been without a president since Emile Lahoud quit on November
23 at the end of his term, as the Western-backed majority
and the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran, failed to
agree to elect Sleiman.
Hajj, 54, was
killed along with his bodyguard a day after parliament
postponed until December 17 another attempt to vote, with
Speaker Nabih Berri, a leading member of the opposition,
saying further consultations were necessary.
Parliament has
postponed the vote seven times since September and some
politicians fear that Lebanon will stay without a president
until next year.
Commander of
military operations, Hajj was very close to Sleiman and
tipped to replace him at the head of the army.
He was the
first military man to be killed in a series of political
assassinations of anti-Syrian figures since February 2005
when former prime minister Rafiq Hariri was murdered.
Syria has
constantly denied any responsibility in the killing of
Hariri or other Lebanese personalities.
On Wednesday,
Damascus fingered Israel over the latest bloodshed.
"Israel and its
agents in Lebanon are the beneficiaries of this crime," said
a Syrian official, quoted on state news agency SANA.
The same stance
was taken by Tehran where foreign ministry spokesman
Mohammad Ali Hosseini said: "We strongly condemn the
assassination of Francois el-Hajj, which was aimed at
disrupting agreement among Lebanese factions to resolve
disputes.
"Enemies of the
Lebanese, especially the Zionist regime, profit the most
from creating insecurity in Lebanon," he said of Iran's
arch-foe Israel
The United
States condemned the killing, with National Security Council
spokesman Gordon Johndroe saying in Washington that
President George W. Bush was determined to stand by Lebanon.
"This is a
crucial time as Lebanon seeks to maintain a democratically
elected government and select a new president," the
spokesman added.
French Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner, who visited Beirut seven times
over the past six months to try to spur a presidential vote,
termed the killing "part of an obvious attempt to
destabilise" Lebanon.
European Union
External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said
the attack was "a contemptible act that puts an even greater
pressure on Lebanon's delicate situation.
"The European
Commission condemns unreservedly that act which should by no
means obstruct the process of electing the new president,"
she said.
Arab League
secretary general Amr Mussa urged the "Lebanese political
parties to head for an agreement on naming a new president
of the republic as quickly as possible."
Jordan's King
Abdullah II sent a cable of condolences to Siniora, saying
the "criminal act targeted efforts to achieve national
conciliation in Lebanon."
In Beirut,
ruling majority leader Saad Hariri -- son of Rafiq Hariri --
said Hajj's assassination aimed at plunging Lebanon into new
political disarray.
"This terrorist
operation comes at a vital time when the enemies of Lebanon
are trying to consolidate the presidential void and sow
discord between the Lebanese people," Hariri said in a
statement.
"The attack
that targeted the hero, martyr, General Francois el-Hajj,
will not stop our drive to protect the constition,
democracy, sovereignty and independence," he said. The
Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a pillar of the opposition,
denounced "the heinous and criminal assassination", in a
statement.
"We urge the
Lebanese to rally around the army and to work seriously to
build a political agreement in order to save the country
from shortsighted policies that allow criminals to worsen
the crisis in Lebanon," it said.
Prime Minister
Fuad Siniora later chaired a security meeting, while a
senior official in his government told AFP that the murder
of Hajj was "a crime targeting the only unified and strong
institution that remains in Lebanon." |
