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US strongly condemns assassination of General Francois Hajj
nowlebanon.com,
Lebanon, December 12, 2007
Wednesday,
December 12, nowlebanon.com
The United
States issued today a firm condemnation of the killing of a
top Lebanese army officer, as Lebanon seeks to fill a
presidential void.
In Beirut, an
army spokesman told AFP that Brigadier General Francois
Hajj, head of military operations, was killed in a blast
along with his bodyguard as their car drove past the Baabda
municipality during the morning rush hour.
"We strongly
condemn the assassination of Brigadier General Francois
Hajj," National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe
said in a statement.
"This is a
crucial time as Lebanon seeks to maintain a
democratically-elected government and select a new
president." "President George W.
Bush will
continue to stand with the Lebanese people as they counter
those who attempt to undermine their security and freedom,"
the spokesman added.
The Red Cross
said the blast also wounded eight people, none of them
seriously.
The attack was
the first of its kind against the Lebanese military, seen as
a unifying force in a country mired in its worst political
crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Several
officials said Hajj, 54, was targeted as he was tipped to
replace as army chief General Michel Sleiman, the
frontrunner to become Lebanon's next president but whose
election has been blocked by a standoff between pro- and
anti-Syrian camps. |
