Beirut mourns Hariri
2005-02-16 10:47
Beirut - Thousands of chanting, flag-waving mourners gathered on Wednesday in an emotion-charged prelude to the funeral procession for slain ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, the man credited with rebuilding post-civil war Lebanon and seen as quietly opposing Syrian influence in his country's affairs.
A huge security operation was organised for Hariri's funeral service, which was to start at his palatial Koreitem compound in a posh Beirut neighbourhood and wind for about 3km through the capital to his burial at the towering Mohammed al-Amin mosque, construction of which he funded.
Coffins of at least five of his bodyguards also killed in Monday's huge bomb blast that assassinated the billionaire businessman were also to be carried in the procession.
As Lebanon prepared for Hariri's funeral, international pressure mounted against the country to find the killers of Hariri and 16 others.
3 day mourning period
Early on Wednesday, Hariri's casket, draped in a red, white and green Lebanese flag, was moved to his home in a convoy of ambulances from the American University Hospital, where his body was initially taken following Monday's blast.
More than 50 grieving close supporters, bodyguards and relatives, including one of Hariri's sons, Saadeddine, carried his casket into his residence, before a Sunni Muslim cleric began readings from the Islamic holy book, the Quran. More than a hundred chanting mourners crowded into a room where his coffin was placed, some dancing in a traditional Lebanese display of grief as they held Hariri's coffin above their heads
In the street outside, thousands of mourners chanted and waved flags in an emotion-charged prelude to the procession. Police and troops deployed in large numbers.
A three-day mourning period has brought Lebanon to a standstill. Shops, schools, government offices closed, along with the 138-year-old American University of Beirut - a prestigious move for one of the region's most prestigious teaching institutions of which Hariri was a board of trustees member.
Many in Lebanon blame Syria for carrying out - or at least having a hand - in the bombing that killed Hariri, the man who was this country's prime minister for 10 of 14 years following the 1990 end of the 15-year civil war. Syria denies the charge and has instead condemned the assassination.
Hariri resigned last year.
Washington announced it was recalling its ambassador from Syria amid speculation that Damascus - which the United States has long criticised for exerting too much control over Lebanon - had a hand in Hariri's killing.
Syria deployed its forces to Lebanon during the 1975-90 civil war to stop the country from falling apart, but remained following the end of the conflict.
- AP