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Assassination in Lebanon

UN Approves Tribunal; Condemns Beirut Attack

Much of Lebanon is in mourning a day after gunmen assassinated a government minister on the streets of Beirut. With accusations flying, the country braces for more violence.

Just hours after a Lebanese Christian government minister was assassinated on the streets of Beirut, the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize the creation of an international tribunal to prosecute the suspected killers of a previous victim of political violence in Lebanon -- former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Council also issued a strong condemnation of Tuesday's murder of Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel.

"The Security Council unequivocally condemns the assassination in Beirut," the Council's statement says. Furthermore, it "condemns any attempt to destabilize Lebanon through political assassination or other terrorist acts."

Many have long felt that neighboring Syria was behind the truck bombing which killed Hariri and 22 others in February 2005. Former UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis even went so far as to implicate Syria's chief of military intelligence Brig. Gen. Assaf Shawkat, who is also the brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Tuesday agreement now clears the way for the creation of an international tribunal, located outside Lebanon, though the Lebanese government must first give its approval and clear up remaining constitutional questions. Those responsible for Gemayel's murder may be added to the list of alleged killers which would be prosecuted by the tribunal -- a list which includes the killers of Hariri and 14 others who have been killed by assassins.

Lebanese Independence Day celebrations planned for Wednesday were cancelled, and schools and shops were closed as the country mourns the death of Gemayel. His body was taken to his family home in Bikfaya in preparation for a Thursday burial. On Tuesday night, groups of young Christians rampaged through parts of Beirut in protest over the killing, breaking car windows, and burning tires and garbage cans. Anti-Syrian groups in Lebanon are calling for a mass turnout for the Thursday funeral, raising fears of possible violence.

The murder of Gemayel may destabilize an already teetering Lebanese democracy. In recent weeks, the Islamist group Hezbollah had been working toward toppling Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and had withdrawn its ministers from his cabinet. It had also been calling for massive anti-government protests -- to begin as early as Thursday -- prior to the Tuesday assassination. It is unclear whether the protests are going to go ahead. Many have posited that the Gemayel murder might be part of the same destabilization strategy.

Fingers have also been pointed at Syria. US President George W. Bush, while stopping short of explicitly blaming Syria for Gemayel's death, accused the Syrians along with the Iranians of seeking to undermine Saniora's government. The slaying, Bush said, was "the vicious face of those who oppose freedom," and he vowed to support Saniora. US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton also implied that Syria was involved. In a eulogy to Gemayel, Saniora said: "I pledge to you that your blood will not go in vain. We will not let the murderers control the fate of Lebanon and the future of its children."

Syria, for its part, has denied responsibility and harshly condemned the murder. Syria's Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said on al-Jazeera: "Those who are accusing Syria in this sick way … do not have an iota of truth or credibility."

In addition to Bush, a number of world leaders strongly condemned the killing. European Union foreign policy head Javier Solana said that "those responsible for this cowardly assassination … must be found and tried." The Spanish foreign ministry called the killing a "terrorist attack" and French President Jacques Chirac said he was "horrified." German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the assassination a "cowardly murder." She said: "We want there to be an independent Lebanon and violence must be stopped with everything we have at our disposal."

The spectre of further political violence in the country is a very real one. Gemayel's father, former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel, urged his Phalange Party supporters to remain calm and not to seek revenge. But in the past, attacks on the Gemayel family -- one of the country's leading Christian political families -- have led to brutal reprisal attacks. A 1975 attack on Pierre Gemayel's grandfather led to Phalangists attacking a busload of Palestinian refugees, an event which provided a spark for the 15-year civil war. When Amin Gemayel's brother was killed in 1982, his supporters stormed a Palestinian refugee camp, murdering hundreds of civilians.

The hit which killed Gemayel seems to have been very professional. He was leaving a church in the Christian quarter of Jdeideh when one vehicle cut his car off from the front and another rammed into him from behind. Three gunmen then got out of the cars and shot Gumeyel, his driver and another passenger in the car. The passenger survived, but the driver died later in hospital. The weapons used were automatic rifles outfitted with silencers.

cgh/AP/Reuters