Lebanese mark Rafiq Hariri’s assassination

Thousands of Lebanese have staged a rally on Sunday marking the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri in Beirut.

“We are expecting a large turnout at the rally, but more importantly we are expecting a peaceful rally that joins Lebanese of all confessions, Christian and Muslim,” March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soueid told AFP.

Rafiq Hariri, along with 22 others, was killed by a car bomb on Feb. 14, 2005 in Beirut. The killing triggered deep political turmoil in the country.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the five-time ex-premier, who now leads the March 14th alliance and a unity government, had earlier accused “pro-Syrian elements” of involvement in the assassination.

Syria, however, denied any involvement in the incident.

After years of tense ties over his father’s murder, the prime minister paid a visit to Damascus last December to forge “brotherly ties” beween the two countries.

Saad had called for a massive turnout to commemorate the anniversary of the assassination and is expected to deliver a speech to the crowd.

An international tribunal based in The Hague was set up by a UN Security Council resolution in 2007 to prosecute suspects in the murder of Rafiq Hariri.

On Friday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the world body remains committed to legal efforts to uncover the truth about the assassination.