Five years on, Lebanon remembers Hariri murder

Lebanon is marking the fifth anniversary of former premier Rafik al-Hariri’s murder.

A turning point, it led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the tiny Mediterranean country.
Damascus was widely blamed for the killing but denied involvement.

Five years on, Hariri’s son Saad, now prime minister himself, no longer publicly accuses Syria of orchestrating his father’s assassination. He recently met President al-Assad.

In an exclusive interview with EuroNews, Saad al-Hariri was asked what future these new relations would have if an international court declares Syria guilty.

“It is a possibility. As I have already told you, we intend to respect the tribunal’s conclusions,” he said. “I don’t think I can answer this question now or comment on what might happen. But what I just said is very important. We are going to respect the tribunal’s judgements.”

Having urged a huge turnout in Beirut today in memory of his father, Saad al-Hariri is certainly not ready to forget the events of February 14 2005.

The ex-premier and 22 others died in a massive car bomb explosion in the capital.

A United Nations investigation initially implicatated Syrian and Lebanese security officials but critics say a UN tribunal appears to have lost momentum.

Copyright © 2013 euronews