Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

UN Will Try Accused Assassins of Ex-Lebanese PM

Divided Security Council OKs tribunal

By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff

Posted May 31, 2007 10:15 AM CDT

(Newser) – A UN tribunal will try suspects in the 2005 assassination of the ex-PM of Lebanon, raising fears of worsening unrest in the unstable country. Five members abstained from yesterday's Security Council vote, signaling a serious rift. And Syria, which has been implicated in the suicide truck-bomb attack that killed Rafik Hariri, warned against the establishment of the tribunal.

PM Fouad Siniora backed the vote, which the opposition-controlled parliament had opposed. Hariri's assassination helped drive Syria out of Lebanon after 29 years of occupation, and Damascus has maintained that Syrian suspects should be tried in their own country. Syria's UN ambassador called the vote "something that goes against the interests of the Lebanese people and Lebanon as a whole."

Lebanese demonstrators carry heart-shaped pictures of assassinated Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Lebanese demonstrators carry heart-shaped pictures of assassinated Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.   (Getty Images)
The shadow of a demonstrator falls on the Lebanese flag.
The shadow of a demonstrator falls on the Lebanese flag.   (Getty Images)
Syrians wave their national flags.
Syrians wave their national flags.   (Getty Images (by Event))
A poster of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri sits next to his grave in Beirut, Lebanon.
A poster of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri sits next to his grave in Beirut, Lebanon.   (Associated Press)
A mosaic of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri, with the words in arabic Lebanon First is seen at his grave in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
A mosaic of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri, with the words in arabic "Lebanon First" is seen at his grave in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.   (Associated Press)
Lebanese wave their country's flag.
Lebanese wave their country's flag.   (Getty Images (by Event))
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Trapped Syrians Communicate With Pigeons

Syria Continues Assault on Homs

Arab League Wants UN Peacekeepers in Syria

Syrian Tanks Surround Homs

Arab League, UN Struggle to Respond to 'War on Syrians'


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne