U.S. Ambassador in Syria being recalled [Archive]

strandinthewind

02-15-2005, 01:09 PM

U.S. recalls envoy from Syria
'Deep concerns' over ex-prime minister's killing in Lebanon

(CNN) -- The United States announced Tuesday the recall of its ambassador to Syria in response to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said ambassador Margaret Scobey was returning to Washington for "urgent consultations" due to "deep concerns" over Monday's "heinous act of terrorism."

Boucher said the killing "calls into question" the presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon.

The United States has "made it clear" it wants Syria to use its influence to prevent such attacks, Boucher said.

The bombing occurred against a backdrop of increasing political tension ahead of Lebanese parliamentary elections set for May.

Lebanon's pro-Syrian government, which counts on its neighbor for security, has come under fire from a growing anti-Syrian opposition that says Lebanon can take care of its own security.

Lebanese Information Minister Elie Ferzli rejected claims the government or Syria was behind the killing. "We consider these accusations irresponsible," he told CNN.

"We consider that the assassination of President Hariri is against stability. And we consider that stability is our concern. So, this action is against us," he said. "We are going to miss President Hariri."

In Syria, government spokesman Buthaina Shaaban said Monday that Syrian-Lebanese relations had "nothing to do with what happened today."

"We want a full investigation to show who is behind this assassination," Shaaban said.

Hariri's supporters in the Lebanese opposition said they held Syria and the pro-Damascus Lebanese government responsible for his murder.

The Lebanese government and Syria both denied any role in the death of Hariri, a businessman who helped rebuild his country after it had been racked by years of civil war.

Search for attackers
Authorities said they were searching for the attackers who killed Hariri and 16 others.

Police have questioned four people and are searching for a man who claimed responsibility for the attack, which wounded 137 people.

Investigators sifting the site for clues say they still do not know how the massive bomb -- which ripped through Beirut's seafront boulevard leaving rubble, burning vehicles, twisted metal and glass strewn for blocks -- was set.

Hariri's family on Tuesday rejected a government call for a state funeral, instead saying the burial set for Wednesday would be accompanied by "a popular remembrance."

Investigators said they did not yet know if the explosives were packed into a vehicle or underground, if they were delivered by a suicide bomber or some other method.

Prior to the blast, construction work was taking place at the site of the explosion.

Franjieh told Reuters that the bomb crater was in the middle of the road, indicating the source of the blast was not a car parked at the roadside.

According to Rashid Mezher, the lead judge in the investigation, the bomb contained between 550 and 650 pounds (250 to 300 kg) of explosives. It left a 20-foot wide crater eight feet deep in the boulevard in front of the once grand St. George hotel, which was still under renovation after the 1975-90 civil war.

The Lebanese army was on full alert Tuesday at the start of three days of mourning over the death of Hariri. Schools, shops, private and public institutions were closed for the day.

'Just punishment'
Authorities were searching for a man who claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement aired on Arab-language television network Al-Jazeera Monday.

Identifying himself as Ahmad Abu Adas, the man read a statement claiming responsibility on behalf of a previously unknown group called Victory and Jihad. He said the bombing was a "just punishment" for Hariri's close ties to the Saudi government.

Rashid Mezher, the head judge in the investigation, said Adas is believed to be Lebanese. Authorities have searched his home, but he was not there. Of the four people questioned by authorities, all are associates of his and all but one have been released.

In the hours immediately following the bombing, officials suggested they had a suspect in custody.

The bombing conjured up images from more than a decade ago, when car bombs were used by militias as a weapon of choice to plunge Lebanon into chaos.

"I haven't seen anything on this scale in Beirut since the dark days of the civil war," said CNN's Brent Sadler. (On the scene)

Resignation
Hariri, 60, served as prime minister from 1992-98 and again from 2000 until his resignation in October after parliament amended the Lebanese constitution to extend pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term for three years. (Hariri profile)

Lahoud was to leave office in November. Hariri, the Maronite church, the Christian Qornet Shahwan bloc and Druze leader Walid Jumblat opposed the extension of Lahoud's term, but Syria supported it.

A U.N. source told CNN that in recent days "strong messages" were sent to the Syrian government regarding Hariri's security.

French President Jacques Chirac issued a statement calling for "an international investigation ... without delay to determine the circumstances and responsibilities of this tragedy and to bring those responsible to justice."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan condemned the attack and described Hariri as a man who worked "tirelessly to rebuild a free, independent and prosperous Lebanon following its civil war and foreign occupation." (World reaction)

CNN Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler contributed to this report.

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