Hariri Murder Anniversary to be Marked in Absence of Key Leaders
The March 14 opposition alliance was on Thursday gearing up to mark the 8th assassination anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri at the BIEL exhibition center in downtown Beirut in the absence of key leaders.
Under the slogan of “Our Dream Will Come True,” the coalition will stress its unity despite the latest differences among its different factions on the electoral draft-law, Hariri's al-Mustaqbal newspaper said.
Delegations, including several lawmakers, visited his gravesite near the downtown Beirut Martyrs' Square ahead of the event to pay tribute to the slain leader.
A flame was also lit near a statue of him at the spot where he was killed on the seaside boulevard.
The event that is scheduled to start at 5:30 pm will include a speech on a huge screen via video link by ex-PM Saad Hariri after an introductory statement by the coordinator of March 14's general-secretariat, former lawmaker Fares Soaid.
Last week, the secretary-general of al-Mustaqbal movement, Ahmed Hariri, said the former prime minister's speech will focus on the four-point initiative that he has recently announced.
He also said the alliance would reiterate its political support for the revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
On the eve of Rafik Hariri's assassination anniversary, al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora said this year's elections should be held on time to prevent Hizbullah and the Syrian regime from keeping their stranglehold on Lebanon.
Four Hizbullah members have been named suspects by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Beirut truck bombing that killed Hariri on Feb. 14 , 2005.
The party denies the charges and has refused to hand over the suspects.
Also Wednesday, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced that he will not attend the rally for security reasons.
Reports said that Phalange leader Amin Gemayel is also not expected to attend.
over 11 years
Who cares of the "leaders" don't show up? Hariri was the people's Primer Minister. The one who fixed Beirut after a long civil war. It's better this way, IT'll be less politicized and we won't have to hear boring speeches.
Everyone, meet you @5pm. Happy Valentine's day to everyone.
over 11 years
Yes, He's forever engraved with Valentine, He was and will be forever loved and remembered by the Free Lebanese men and women. He was no saint for the simple reason that there cannot be saints in the Levant these days. He was human like 99% of us. Only evil monsters like Bashar, Ahmadinjad, Nasrallah or Natayahu last longer on their bloody thrones.
May the Spirit of Rafik Hariri keep us away from further harm, and evil forces that are hijacking Lebanon and its people. Freedom will eventually prevail and trust me, that day you and your likes will have to dig deep in order to hide from shame that will haunt you. But we will forgive you, because we're better people.
over 11 years
@Flame: The first seeds of cynicism are often planted when people put in effort to achieve a goal like snagging a promotion at work or raising a self-sufficient child—and then see their high hopes dashed.
This disconnect between expectation and reality gives budding cynics a feeling of helplessness, prompting the emergence of a hallmark of the cynical personality: the sense that nothing anyone does in life really matters.
Does it sound familiar?
over 11 years
It is a shame that Lebanon commemorates theives and bigots while real heroes and martyrs are forgotten.
over 11 years
Gemayel, Geagea & company won't show up for security reasons. Bashar and his Lebanese M8 proxies want to send them IN PIECES to Colonel Hassan and PM Hariri's graves.
over 11 years
lol sorry but this is funny, I like it
over 11 years
happy valentine's for all
over 11 years
Personally, I always liked Harriri RIP. To my surprise many people didn't like him when he was alive, accusing him of a lot of things. To be fair, if it was not for Harriri and don't kids yourselves, Beirut would have still been in ruins and not one highway existed in Lebanon. Anyway, Happy Valentine day to all of you.
over 11 years
mo! Who's destroying the historical Ottoman styled houses in Beirut in 2012/13? Who's giving the permits? Who's in charge? aha!!!
What about the Venus towers? so STFU ... roo7 tkhabba, awem, yalla! 3and el mama. yalla yalla. she's waiting for you.
over 11 years
Pay for power, then you can act like you care about archaeology.
over 11 years
Allah yirhamak ya Sheikh Rafik Hariri, you loved all Lebanese and we love you...and let the little dogs bark...
over 11 years
ft, keep barking :)
over 11 years
mowaten the true lebanese patriot! rejoicing at the murder of a lebanese representative...
he believes in the state? this comment shows us how much he respects democracy! being a democrat means to respect the other camp.
if he were a true patriot he should be outraged that a lebanese representative get killed because of his political ideas... it shows how much he respects the freedom of thinking...
the only true lebanese in his minds are those who follow the iranian militia, the others are just targets....
pityful idiot...
over 11 years
M8ers show their true faces... accomplices of murders of lebanese politicians! rejoicing at their murders! hinting that their camp did it to get rid of those annoying their plans!!
showing how much they respect democracy and elected politicians...
they wish for a dictatorship led by orangina or iranman... but freedom of speech or freedom of beliefs they deny it to others!
they are so despicable and only deserve contempt and pity....
over 11 years
no need of trying to look comic... your posts proves how much you make fun of those killed by your friends and lowering them to try and make FPM and M8 important while you only belong in the gutters or in the trash dump of saida...
over 11 years
better to be constipated than with a mouth full of sh... like yours cause each time you post it stinks here...no wonder when one believes fpm bullsh... he becomes full of it.
over 11 years
attracted to it? lol! typical FPM complex of superiority...
when i smell your stink i just come to flush you out...
over 11 years
Rafik Hariri was one of the few leaders who sincerely worked towards improving the country, rebuilding after the war and reuniting people, especially Muslims and Christians.
I am sorry Mowatan and Karim that you would rather see Beirut like South Lebanon or Dahye where you re able to impregnate your own sisters.
From this point onward, even though they are anti Hezbollah, I include Gabby and Kaanandian in the same boat with you. They're obviously both nazis, so maybe you can get together and share ideas, it might allow you to come up with a complete sentence.
over 11 years
Stargate, what are you talking about?!
over 11 years
Well said Stargate. We cannot include an entire sect, race or religion on the actions of one sick man. We all know the army cannot go anywhere they chose. Common sense would tell you that the guy being from the south would have never been apprehended had he not been turned in by the people around him. Clearly that shows that they do not approve of what he did. We have to get over our racism if we are to survive as Lebanese.
over 11 years
Stargate is refering to canadianadam's comment
"I am sorry Mowatan and Karim that you would rather see Beirut like South Lebanon or Dahye where you re able to impregnate your own sisters. "
Tthis is the recent incident of the guy that impregnated his own sister and killed her.
over 11 years
RIP Rafik Hariri. The people that murdered him are still trying to kill his image 8 years later with hatred and utter disrespect for human life, both yours and the 20 innocent bystanders that day. They failed then and they will continue to fail as the history books will forever show them for who they truly are., Terrorists, murderers and thieves.
You can suck on that M8ers.
over 11 years
true indeed!!
This celebration would have seen more fans had it been held in a public urinal instead. Try it next time and you shall see.