Hariri’s probe puts Syria in trouble
Foreign Desk Report

BEIRUT—The United States demanded on Friday that Syria be held to account after a UN murder inquiry implicated senior Syrian officials in the bomb blast that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The probe led by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis named as suspects in the Feb. 14 killing members of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s inner circle, including his brother-in-law.
The UN report said Foreign Minister Farouq Al Shara gave investigators false information and it accused top pro-Syrian Lebanese officials of playing major role in the killing, with suspicion cast even on President Emile Lahoud. ”Even an initial reading of the report is deeply troubling,” US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declared.
“You have clearly a case in which there is an implication that Syrian officials were involved in the assassination of Rafik Al Hariri. You also have a clear indication that the Syrian government has not been cooperating. “These are charges that will lead the international community to have to seriously consider how it demand accountability,” she added.
Syria dismissed the report as “gossip” and the charges as ”far from the truth”, while Lahoud denied them and indicated he would resist calls for him to resign.