Syria accused of eliminating foe in Beirut blast

LEBANON prepared to bury anti-Syrian politician Walid Eido, a day after he was killed in a car bomb attack his allies blamed on Damascus.

Mr Eido, his eldest son, two bodyguards and six passers-by were killed in an attack near a Beirut beach club.

The Sunni Muslim legislator was the seventh anti-Syrian figure to be assassinated since February 2005 when former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri was killed in a suicide truck bombing.

Businesses, banks and schools were yesterday shut in Beirut and many other parts of Lebanon as the country observed a day of mourning.

He belonged to the majority anti-Syrian parliamentary bloc of Hariri's son, Saad al-Hariri, that controls the Government. The bloc accused Syria of involvement in the attack and said it was in response to the establishment of a UN court to try suspects in political killings.

A UN Security Council resolution setting up the tribunal took effect on June 10. No immediate comment was available from Syria.

"Terrorism of Syrian regime challenges the court: Walid Eido martyred," said the front-page headline of the daily al-Mustaqbal newspaper. The an-Nahar newspaper also described Mr Eido as a martyr.

His death was likely to fuel tension between the Government and the pro-Syrian opposition led by the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group, which has condemned the killing.

The parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, said "No individual, group, organisation or party using terrorism and organised crime will be able to make Lebanon an arena for unrest, strife, wars and score-settling."

The US, France, Britain, the European Union, Iran and the United Nations all condemned the attack.
Syria accused of eliminating foe in Beirut blast - World - theage.com.au

Wow...even Iran condemned the attack? This should prove to be interesting.

Have a good one!:s4: