Hariri was killed for ties with Saudi monarchy: tape

MIDDLE EAST: Of all the parties that might have been responsible for the death of Lebanon's former prime minister, an apparent admission came shortly after the incident from what is regarded as an unlikely group.

In a videotape broadcast on al-Jazeera, an unknown Islamist faction proclaimed that it was responsible for the assassination . The speaker said that Mr Rafik Hariri had been killed because of his close connections with the Saudi monarchy, seen as the arch-enemy of radical Islamists.

The man was later identified as a Palestinian resident of Beirut, Mr Ahmad Abu Adas, who was said to have ties with al-Qa'ida.

Opposition politicians asserted that the Lebanese government and Syria, as the authority in charge of security, were responsible for the fact that the attack took place, and called for three days of strikes to protest the assassination.

Syria was considered a culprit, because last October Mr Hariri resigned as prime minister after Damascus backed the bid of his rival, the President, Mr Emile Lahoud, to amend the constitution to extend his term in office.

Recently Mr Hariri aligned himself with opposition deputies critical of Syria. But since his bloc was slated to win the parliamentary election in May, some argue that he would have reconciled with Damascus, the power broker in the country, to regain office.

Other analysts argued that Syria, guarantor of Lebanon's stability since the civil war ended in 1991, would not risk its role by mounting a spectacular bombing aimed at the country's sole high-profile politician. The Lebanese could respond by calling for Damascus' departure.

Ms Rim Allaf, an analyst at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, said: "Whoever did it aimed at creating chaos in Lebanon and pointing the finger at Syria. I can't believe anyone in Syria could think that that would help them."

Israel is also accused of being a possible perpetrator, with the aim of warning the Lebanese that they would suffer destabilisation if they failed to rein in the Shia Hizbullah movement, which forced Israel to withdraw from the south in 2000.

Israel accuses Hizbullah of training and arming Palestinian Islamic militants operating in the West Bank and Gaza. A strike in the heart of the Lebanese capital would tell Syria to cease its support for both Hizbullah and the Palestinian resistance.

Those who discount Israeli involvement argue that the Sharon government would not wish to cultivate instability in Lebanon on its northern border while it is preparing to withdraw from Gaza. Since Palestinian militants have agreed to a ceasefire, Israel would not wish to take any action which might prompt the resumption of attacks.

Lebanese informants dismiss as instigators Maronite Christian extremists who might be seeking to reignite civil strife, or local mafias crossed by Mr Hariri during his long career as business magnate and politician. "It's political," asserted a veteran source.