President Emile Lahoud is set to meet with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday to discuss the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 and the international investigations into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Sources close to the presidential delegation to the UN Summit told The Daily Star that the talks with Annan will focus on the need to establish an inter-Lebanese dialogue to agree on a mechanism that would allow the implementation of Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of Hizbullah and Palestinians factions in the country.The sources added that the meeting with the top UN official will focus on the ongoing developments in the international investigations into Hariri's murder, and that the president will make it clear to Annan that those convicted in the crime will face severe punishment. Friday's meeting with Annan is likely to encompass the role of the world body's peacekeeping troops (UNIFIL) in South Lebanon. The Security Council has already renewed UNIFIL's mandate for another six months, as of July 29.
In a statement issued yesterday, Lahoud reiterated that he has a "clear conscience" regarding the assassination of Hariri. According to the statement, Lahoud told reporters on his flight to New York Monday that he will finish his term despite calls for his resignation. Four of his top generals, including the former head of the Presidential Guard, have been arrested in the investigations. "If a human being had a bloody history, he can commit such a crime. But if his hands were not tainted with blood, then his conscience is clear and my conscience is clear," Lahoud said. He added: "We must know the criminals and I will erect their gallows with my hands. We should not make this topic harm the interest of Lebanon."