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| On the other side, it has been revealed by ] US embassy cables that ] director ] reported that Syria "desperately" wanted to stop the investigation of the Tribunal<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/136139</ref>. | On the other side, it has been revealed by ] US embassy cables that ] director ] reported that Syria "desperately" wanted to stop the investigation of the Tribunal<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/136139</ref>. | ||
| According to the Russian weekly '']'' <ref> ''Odnako'', November 29, 2010.</ref>, Germany would be involved in the attack against Hariri. According to NewTV, the basic findings used by ''Odnako'', had been quoted in an unpublished report of the scientific coordinator of the UN, the French ] (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale). This report, reversing the position of the truck bomb and confirmed the missile, had been rejected without explanation by the president of the UN Commission, ]. | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 12:54, 11 December 2010
This article is about the former Lebanese prime minister. For the writer, see Al-Hariri of Basra.| Rafic Hariri رفيق حريري | |
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| Prime Minister of Lebanon | |
| In office 31 October 1992 – 2 December 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Rashid el-Solh |
| Succeeded by | Selim al-Hoss |
| In office 23 October 2000 – 21 October 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Selim al-Hoss |
| Succeeded by | Omar Karami |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1944-11-01)November 1, 1944 Sidon, Lebanon |
| Died | February 14, 2005(2005-02-14) (aged 60) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Political party | Future Movement |
| Politics of Lebanon |
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| Constitution Human rights |
| Executive |
| Legislature |
| Subdivisions |
| Elections |
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Foreign relations
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Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri (November 1, 1944 – February 14, 2005, Template:Lang-ar), was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.
He headed five cabinets during his tenure. Hariri dominated the country's post-war political and business life and is widely credited with reconstructing Beirut after the 15-year civil war.
Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005 when explosives equivalent to around 1000 kg of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove past the St. George Hotel in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The investigation, by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, into his assassination is still ongoing and currently led by the independent investigator Daniel Bellemare. In its first two reports, UNIIIC indicated that the Syrian government may be linked to the assassination. According to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news investigation, the special UN investigation team had found strong evidence for the responsibility of the Hezbollah in the assassination. Hariri's killing led to massive political change in Lebanon, including the Cedar Revolution and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Background
Hariri was born in a modest Sunni Muslim family, along with two siblings (brother, Shafic and sister Bahia) in the Lebanese port city of Sidon. Hariri attended elementary and secondary school in his city and pursued his business administration studies at the Beirut Arab University.
Rise to Wealth
In 1969, Hariri established CICONEST a small subcontracting firm. Although mildly successful for a brief period of time, CICONEST began to be, counter-intuitively, damaged by rising oil prices. As the oil boom took off, CICONEST's profits diminished further and further due to the rising costs of raw materials that quickly outstripped the rising contract construction costs themselves. CICONEST could no longer operate and was forced out of business. During the oil-boom Saudi Arabia's wealth increased exponentially. In the midst of its boom, Saudi Arabia became an important center in the region for business and political interests. Hariri's partner at the time was solicited by King Khaled to construct a new hotel in Ta'if within a brief time span. Hariri accepted the contract and immediately went to Europe to source capital for the project. He found his support in Paris, "an active Lebanese banker who had appropriated Banque Méditerranée in Lebanon and started operations in Paris…was impressed by Hariri." The banker guaranteed Hariri thus enabling him to finance the project. Hariri then partnered with the failing French construction firm Oger to source the construction side of the development. Hariri knew that the rest of his career rested upon the success of this single contract, and came to devote all of his resources to its timely completion. Hariri finished the project a week before it was due and came into the good graces of King Khaled. The profit from that single project formed the launching pad of Hariri's career. "Hariri achieved considerable profits and made a successful takeover bid for Oger, a company that was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy." Hariri formed Oger International out of the merger and went on to be the main construction firm used by the Saudi Royal family for all of their important developments. As a result, only a few years after his first contract with King Khaled, Hariri had become a multi-billionaire.
Beginnings in philanthropy
Having accumulated enormous wealth, Hariri began to focus his attention on contributing back to his community. Going back to his roots, Hariri's first major endeavors involved developing educational facilities in Lebanon. Three main projects consumed a large portion of his time. First was the redevelopment of a new school in his hometown, Sidon; the school had been razed in previous warfare with Israel. Second was the establishment of a large educational institute. The Kfar Falous project was one of enormous scope, encompassing roughly eighteen-million square feet of land at an estimated project cost of one-hundred and fifty million dollars. This initiative was of particular sentimental importance to Hariri because it acted as a center for education where all of Lebanon's different sects could join together and pursue greater goals than the advancement of their own sects. Unfortunately, only a year after its completion, the Kfar Falous project was completely and utterly destroyed. The third push with regards to education was the creation of the Hariri Foundation. The Hariri Foundation, originally called the Islamic Institute for Culture and Higher Education, was an organization that helped finance students’ higher education tuitions. The institute also frequently paid college tuition fees for the children of prominent figures in the Assad government..
As he became more involved in aiding those affected by war, Hariri became progressively more embroiled in politics. His appeals to the U.N. and services as an emissary to the Saudi Royal family won him international recognition on the political stage for his humanitarian efforts but also slowly caught him in the web of Lebanese politics. Fundamentally, however, Hariri was a businessman-philanthropist. In 1982, he donated $12 million to Lebanese victims of Israel's invasion and helped clean up Beirut's streets with his company's money. After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, he acted as an envoy of the Saudi royal family to the country. He laid the groundwork that led to the 1989 Taif Accord, which Saudi Arabia organised to bring the warring factions together. Taif put an end to the civil war and paved the way for Hariri to become prime minister.
Political career
Hariri returned to Lebanon in the early 80s as a wealthy man and began to build a name for himself by making large donations and contributions to various groups in Lebanon. He was implanted as the Saudis' strong man following the collapse of the PLO and the paucity of any viable Sunni leadership in the country, as well as a response to the rising power of the Shiite militia Amal. In 1992, becoming prime minister under Syria's watchful military occupation of Lebanon, he put the country back on the financial map through the issuing of Eurobonds and won plaudits from the World Bank for his plan to borrow reconstruction money as the country's debt grew to become the largest per capita in the world.
1992-1996 Economic Political Policies
Hariri implemented aggressive and reformative new economic policy. Perhaps Hariri's most important creation in the beginning of his career was "Horizon 2000" the government's name for its new rejuvenation plan. A large component of "Horizon 2000" was Solidere, the privately-owned construction company that was established to reconstruct post-war Lebanon. Solidere was owned by the government and private investors. Solidere was largely focused on redeveloping Beirut's downtown and turning it into a new urban center as quickly as possible as one aspect of the various infrastructure redevelopment plans that would be implemented by "Horizon 2000". Another aspect of the decade-long plan was the privatization of major industries. Numerous contracts were awarded in important industries such as energy, telecommunications, electricity, airports and roads. The last and perhaps most significant aspect of "Horizon 2000" was economic stimulus via direct foreign investment. Specifically, Hariri supported foreign firms and individuals taking an interest in Lebanon's developmental potential. Hariri simplified tax codes and provided tax breaks to foreign investors. Due to his previous successes in the private sector and the numerous resulting international connections, Hariri was able to garner a significant amount of low-interest loans from foreign investors. Hariri also pursued aggressive macroeconomic policy such as maintaining strict regulations on bank reserves and inter-bank interest rates to curb inflation and raise the value of the Lebanese pound relative to the dollar. Hariri's economic policies were a remarkable success during his first year in office. From 1992-1993 there was a 6 percent real increase in national income, the capital base of commercial banks effectively doubled, the budgetary earnings hovered at around a billion dollars, and commercial banks’ consolidated balance sheets increased about 25%. By 1998, however, real GDP growth was around 1%, a year later it would be -1%, national debt had skyrocketed 540% from two to eighteen billion dollars, and Lebanon's economy was in a miserable state.
Hariri and Lebanon's Political Environment
Amid the political crisis brought on by the extension of President Émile Lahoud's term, Hariri resigned as Prime Minister, saying: "I have... submitted the resignation of the government, and I have declared that I will not be a candidate to head the (next) government."
During a BBC interview in 2001, Harīrī was asked by Tim Sebastian why he refused to hand over members of Hezbollah that were accused by America of being terrorists. He responded that Hezbollah were the ones protecting Lebanon against the Israeli occupation and called for implementation of passed United Nations resolutions against Israel. He was further accused of making the American coalition in the War on Terrorism worthless and asked if he was ready for the consequences of his refusal, reminding him that George W. Bush had said: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists". He replied that he had hoped that there would be no consequences, but would deal with them if they arrive. Hariri further said that he opposed the killing of all humans - Israeli, Palestinian, Syrian or Lebanese - and believed in dialogue as a solution. He further went on to say that Syria will have to stay in Lebanon for protection of Lebanon until they are no longer needed and Lebanon asks them to leave.
Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a recent recruit of the anti-Syrian opposition, emboldened by popular anger and civic action now being called Lebanon's "Cedar Revolution," alleged in the wake of the assassination that in August 2004 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatened Hariri, saying " Lahoud is me. ... If you and Chirac want me out of Lebanon, I will break Lebanon.". He was quoted as saying "When I heard him telling us those words, I knew that it was his condemnation of death."
On June 22, 2005, Beirut International Airport was renamed Rafic Hariri International Airport. Additionally, Beirut General University hospital was renamed Rafiq Hariri Hospital.
Distinctions, medals and awards
- Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (1981)
- Chevalier of the Italian Republic (1982)
- Cedar National Medal / Rank of Commandor (1983)
- Saint Peter and Saint Paul Medal (1983)
- Save the Children 50th Anniversary Award (1983)
- Medal of King Faysal (1983)
- Médaille de la Ville de Paris (1983)
- Golden Key of Beirut City (1983)
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (1983)
- Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (1986)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Boston University (1986)
- Docteur Honoris Causa de l’Université de Nice (1988)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the Arab University of Beirut (1994)
- Goldaen Key of São Paulo City / Brazil (1995).
- Medal of the Liberator of Argentina – General José St. Martin (1995)
- Prix Louise Michel – France (1995)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Georgetown University – Washington USA (1996)
- Grande Croix de la Légion d’Honneur (1996)
- The Grand Cordon (1996).
- The Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Grand Gwang Hwa Medal - Korea (1997)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Ottawa, Canada (1997)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Montreal, Canada (1997)
- Le Grand Collier du Trône – Morocco (1997)
- Cavalier du Gran Croce (1997)
- Al Nahda medal, First Category, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2001).
- Medal of Honor of the Arab Union / The Arab Union of Veterans Associations (2001).
- "Star of Romania" Order at the rank of "The Grand Cross" (2002).
- Union Medal / Republic of Yemen (2002).
- Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon (2003).
- Orient Doctorate Degree, Moscow State Institute for International Relations (2003)
- UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honor Special Citation for Post Conflict Reconstruction / World Urban Forum, United Nations - Barcelona, Spain (2004).
- King Faysal International Award for Serving Islam, jointly with the Islamic Bank for Development (2005). >
- Tipperary International Peace Award (2005).
Assassination
Main article: Assassination of Rafic Hariri
On 14 February 2005 Hariri was killed, along with 21 others, when explosives equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St. George Hotel in Beirut. Among the dead were several of Hariri's bodyguards and his friend and former Minister of the Economy Bassel Fleihan. Hariri was buried along with his bodyguards, who died in the bombing, in a location near Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.
The latest progress report by Brammertz has indicated that DNA evidence collected from the crime scene suggests that the assassination might be the act of a young male suicide bomber.
Aftermath
Hariri was well regarded among international leaders, for example, he was a close friend of French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac was one of the first foreign dignitaries to offer condolences to Hariri's widow in person at her home in Beirut. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was also created at his instigation.
Following Hariri's death, there were several other bombings and assassinations against anti-Syrian figures. These included Samir Kassir, George Hawi, Gebran Tueni, Pierre Amine Gemayel, and Walid Eido. Assassination attempts were made on Elias Murr, May Chidiac, and Samir Shehade (who was investigating Hariri's death).
Western media outlets have claimed that the United Nations special tribunal investigating the murder of Hariri may accuse Hezbollah of murdering Hariri. . The UN Tribunal has in the past been subject to much controversy, due to allegations that it is biased in favor of western governments and that it has been involved in forging and fabricating evidence. See Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of the assassination of Hariri. According to Hezbollah officials, the assassination of Hariri was planned by the Mossad as a means of expelling the Syrian army from Lebanon prior to the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In August 2010, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah presented evidence, comprising of intercepted Israeli spy-drone video footage and the sabotage of Lebanese Telecom industry by Israeli spies, which implicated Israel in the assassination of Hariri. After an altercation between male Tribunal staff and women at a gynecology clinic in October 2010, Hezbollah demanded that the Lebanese government stop all cooperation with the Special Tribunal, claiming the tribunal to be an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty by western governments. On October 2010, Hezbollah conducted a drill simulating a takeover of Lebanon – an operation which it threatened was to be carried out in the event that the international tribunal for the assassination Hariri indicts Hezbollah.
On the other side, it has been revealed by leaked US embassy cables that Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate director Omar Suleiman reported that Syria "desperately" wanted to stop the investigation of the Tribunal.
According to the Russian weekly Odnako , Germany would be involved in the attack against Hariri. According to NewTV, the basic findings used by Odnako, had been quoted in an unpublished report of the scientific coordinator of the UN, the French Xavier Laroche (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale). This report, reversing the position of the truck bomb and confirmed the missile, had been rejected without explanation by the president of the UN Commission, Detlev Mehlis.
References
- Washington Times - Lebanon on a tinderbox
- CBC Investigation: Who killed Lebanon's Rafik Hariri?
- Dossier:Rafiq Hariri
- About Solidere
- BBC Interview With Rafiq Hariri
- Rafiq Hariri
- ^ "Rafiq Al-Hariri's biography". Rafiq Hariri Foundation. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- UN probe into murder of former Lebanese leader nears sensitive stage – inquiry chief
- New Evidence Points to Hezbollah in Hariri Murder, By Erich Follath
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- Hezbollah Threatens an 'Explosion' in Beirut Over Tribunal, Stratfor Global Intelligence.
- Lebanese Daily: Hizbullah Drills Takeover of Lebanon, November 3, 2010, The Middle East Research Institute.
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/136139
- Кто убил Рафика Харири Odnako, November 29, 2010.
Books
- Sallam, Qasim (1980). Al-Baath wal Watan Al-Arabi ("The Baath and the Arab Homeland"). Paris: EMA. ISBN 2-86584-003-4
External links
- Rafic Hariri Official site with news, video, press releases, speeches, statements, government policy, Cabinet decisions and UN resolutions
- Future Movement Forum Future Movement Discussion Forum
- Template:Dmoz
- Obituaries
- Obituary-Rafīq Harīrī - BBC News 14 February 2005
- Obituary-Rafīq Harīrī - Lebanese Club @ MIT, President, Loai Naamani 15 February 2005
- Obituary-Rafīq Harīrī - The Daily Telegraph 15 February 2005
- Obituary-Rafīq Harīrī - The Guardian 15 February 2005
- Obituary-Rafīq Harīrī - The Times 16 February 2005
- Obituary-Rafīq Harīrī - Islamica Magazine 2005
- News coverage
- 'Beirut bombshell' - Fortune, Mitchell Protero, 4 May 2006
- Connecting the dots in Lebanon - Ya Libnan, 2 December 2006
- RafiqHariri.tk ongoing news reports
- Harīrī.org memorial page with news reports
- 'March for the martyr: Harīrī Remembered' Arabian Business, Massoud A. Derhally 14 February 2006
- Timeline: Lebanon A chronology of key events - BBC News 14 February 2005
- Harīrī's Absence Hard to Fill - New York Newsday 14 February 2005
- Lebanese prime minister Harīrī resigns - Aljazeera.net 20 October 2004
- The Los Angeles World Affairs Council Speech LAWAC 18 December 1996
- "Mr. Miracle" - TIME EUROPE 8 February 1993
- Other
- The Fitzgerald report (link to the UN website) - 24 March 2005
- The Mehlis report (link to the UN website) - 20 October 2005
- Lebanese prime minister quits, By Brent Sadler, Caroline Faraj and Nada el-Husseini, CNN 15 April 2003
- Ambassador Farid Abboud discusses assassination: Farid Abboud
- Huge blast kills Lebanese ex-PM — Previously unknown group claims responsibility, CNN 14 February 2005
- Harīrī's comeback in Lebanon, BBC News 4 September 2000
- Al-Harīrī, Rafīq & family, 58, self-made, Forbes October 2002
- US Warns of UN Penalties After Lebanon Killing, Reuters Mon 14 February 2005
- Blasts, then silence: Cease-fire begins, CNN 26 April 1996
- INDEPTH: LEBANON Lebanon CBC News Online, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 15 February 2005
- Syria accused of killing Lebanon's ex-leader By Ramsay Short in Beirut and Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor-The Daily Telegraph 15 February 2005
- Dossier: Rafiq Harīrī-Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, July 2001
- Brinkley, Joel Rice Says Syria Is at Least Indirectly Responsible for the Blast The New York Times, February 17, 2005
- Fattah, Hassan M. Wails at Loss of Lebanese Leader, Cries for His Vision The New York Times, February 17, 2005
- Saidi, Leena Huge Crowds Mourn Lebanon's Ex-Premier The New York Times, February 16, 2005
- Friedman, Thomas L. 'Hama Rules' The New York Times, February 17, 2005
- MacDonald, Neil. CBC Investigation: Who killed Lebanon's Rafik Hariri?, CBC, November 21, 2010
- Print articles
- Family of Slain Lebanese Leader Demands Probe Into Killing -The Associated Press/New York Times 17 February 2005
- Death of Businessman By Ajami, Fouad The Wall Street Journal-17 February 2005 Page A12
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byRashid el-Solh | Prime Minister of Lebanon 1992–1998 |
Succeeded bySelim al-Hoss |
| Preceded bySelim al-Hoss | Prime Minister of Lebanon 2000–2004 |
Succeeded byOmar Karami |
- 1944 births
- 2005 deaths
- People from Sidon District
- Lebanese Sunni Muslims
- Prime Ministers of Lebanon
- Arab politicians
- Assassinated Lebanese politicians
- Lebanese businesspeople
- Businesspeople in construction
- Recipients of the Star of Romania Order
- Deaths by car bomb
- Lebanese billionaires
- Terrorism deaths in Lebanon
- Lebanese terrorism victims
- People murdered in Lebanon
- American University of Beirut trustees
- Arab businesspeople
- People from South Lebanon
- Movement of the Future politicians