Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said in comments published on Monday that he erred in accusing Syria of the murder of his father, ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, in a 2005 bombing in Beirut. "At some point, we made a mistake," Hariri told the Saudi-owned daily Asharq Al-Awsat. "At one stage, we accused Syria of assassinating the martyred premier.
"That was a political accusation, and that political accusation is over," Hariri told the London-based newspaper. "There is a (UN) court that is doing its job, and we for our part must reassess what happened," he said. Rafiq Hariri was killed in a massive bombing in the Lebanese capital on February 14, 2005, that also claimed another 22 lives, at a time when Syria retained a tight grip over its smaller neighbour.
Saad Hariri and his allies pinned the blame on Damascus, which was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon that April ending a presence of nearly three decades. Damascus has consistently denied any involvement in the assassination. Since taking office as prime minister last year, the Western- and Saudi-backed Hariri has made three visits to the Syrian capital.
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