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Posted by Dalale (Guest) - Tuesday, July 25 2006, 0:37:09 (CEST)
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/12/ap/world/mainD8EEN0PO0.shtml

Anti-Syrian Journalist Killed in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 12, 2005
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(AP) A prominent anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker was killed by a car bomb Monday, a day after he returned from France, where he had been staying periodically for fear of assassination.

Gibran Tueni played a major role in the huge demonstrations that, combined with international pressure, forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April, ending a 29-year presence in the neighboring country.

Tueni's uncle, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, and the leading Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt blamed Syria for the bombing _ a charge Syria denied.

Police said Tueni was one of three people killed when a car bomb exploded as his motorcade drove through Mkalles, an industrial suburb of Beirut. The others were his driver and an unidentified passerby. Another 30 people were wounded in the bombing, which started a fire that destroyed at least 10 vehicles.

Jumblatt said the bombing was intended to silence a voice who had sought those responsible for the February assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

"This is a new terrorism message," Jumblatt said.

Lebanon has been rocked by bombings since Hariri's assassination. The attacks have mainly targeted journalists and politicians known to be opposed to Syrian influence in Lebanon.

Monday's attack came a day after the chief U.N. investigator into Hariri's assassination, Detlev Mehlis, delivered his latest report to Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Two U.N. diplomats said the document was expected to raise new questions about Syria's cooperation with that probe.

Mehlis' earlier report, delivered in October, implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in Hariri's killing.

Preliminary estimates put the bomb's size at 88 pounds of TNT. The blast tossed several cars, including Tueni's armor-plated vehicle, into a ravine and shattered the windows of nearby shops and buildings.

"God have mercy on Gibran and An-Nahar will remain the beacon for freedom," Jumblatt told LBC television.

Tueni, 48, was a respected columnist and the general manager of An-Nahar, the country's leading newspaper. His writings often raised the ire of Syria.

His death triggered an outpouring of grief. Bells of Orthodox churches tolled in the Christian quarter of Ashrafieh, Tueni's constituency. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called an emergency meeting of top security officials and asked the Cabinet to convene later Monday.

Hariri was seen as a quiet opponent of Syria's dominance of the country. His assassination provoked the mass demonstrations against that helped drive Syria out of the country in April.

Hamadeh threatened to withdraw from the Cabinet with two colleagues if the government did not demand a U.N. investigation into the continuing series of bombings. He said there must be an international tribunal to "investigate the continuing crimes of the Syrian regime."

Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied his government was involved, telling LBC television: "Those who are behind this are the enemies of Lebanon."

Tueni was elected to parliament for the first time in the elections of May and June. He had only returned to Lebanon on Sunday from Paris, where he has been staying most of the past few months out of fear for his safety.

Tueni's grandfather, Gibran Tueni, founded An-Nahar. His father Ghassan Tueni is considered the dean of the Lebanese press, having turned the newspaper into an institution respected by friend and foe across the Arab world.

Syria denies involvement in the killing of Hariri and says it is cooperating with the U.N. probe. But Syria has waged a campaign to discredit the U.N. inquiry since the October report.

In an interview broadcast on Russian television on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad reiterated his country's innocence and said any attempt to impose sanctions against Syria would destabilize the region.

In his comments to LBC on Monday, Jumblatt said: "Someone told Russian TV that imposing sanctions on Syria would destabilize the Middle East. It looks as if the destabilization has started. But we will respond by continuing to demand the truth."

MMV The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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