Lebanon's Parliament majority leader Saad Hariri blamed Wednesday Syria for the murder of a member of his bloc Walid Eido and called for the Arab League to "boycott the terrorist regime" targeting Lebanon. "It is the same fingers which killed Rafik Hariri," said MP Saad Hariri. "Either the Arab League takes up its responsibility ... and protects Lebanon, or they have to boycott the terrorist regime which attacks Lebanon in front of the eyes of the Arab world," he said."It is a terrorist regime which violates Lebanon's sovereignty, destabilizes its security and kills its politicians," Hariri said, without actually naming Syria.
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said Eido's assassination is part of a "physical liquidation" by Syria of the anti-Damascus parliamentary majority. "It is the same serial killer who wants to liquidate the parliamentary majority; it is a physical liquidation by the Syrian regime," Hamadeh told reporters. "They want to reverse the political situation, put an end to the Cedar Revolution and block the election of a new president" in September, he said.
The ruling coalition has accused Syria of seeking to eliminate members of the majority, which has now been left with a total of 70 MPs out of the parliament's 128 members. It also accused Damascus of trying to block the creation of an international court to try suspects in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Damascus has denied any link with the killing of Hariri or other subsequent assassinations and attempts against anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon in the past two years.
"It is the same killer which went wild before the tribunal (came into force on Sunday) and now after the tribunal," said Hamadeh. Hamadeh survived Oct. 2004 an assassination attempt with major wounds.
Another member of the anti-Syrian camp, former President Amin Gemayel, called Eido's murder "part of the criminal attacks that have targeted leaders and personalities of the Cedar Revolution. "This crime will not deter us... and what happens today highlights the importance of the international tribunal," said Gemayel whose own son, MP and Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, was killed in an attack last November 21.