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id100501
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was <e1>due</e1> to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were <e2>expected</e2> to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100502
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was <e1>due</e1> to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the <e2>attacks</e2>.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100503
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was <e1>due</e1> to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to <e2>look</e2> into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100504
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The <e1>attacks</e1> have <e2>created</e2> a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100505
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
<e1>Married</e1> twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters <e2>born</e2> just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100506
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last <e1>attack</e1> was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
<e2>Married</e2> twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100507
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last <e1>attack</e1> was on <t1>September 25</t1> when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
|
id100508
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing <e1>threw</e1> the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus <e2>pulled</e2> out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
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id100509
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah <e1>denied</e1> any role, and <e2>blamed</e2> "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
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id100510
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters <e1>born</e1> just <t1>a few months ago</t1>.
|
IS_INCLUDED
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id100511
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper <e1>said</e1> <t1>Monday</t1>: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
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id100512
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not <e1>subscribe</e1> to these methods, which are <e2>used</e2> by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
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id100513
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, <e1>referring</e1> to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, <e2>said</e2> that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100514
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, <e1>alluding</e1> to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on <t1>Sunday</t1>.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
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id100515
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet <e1>meeting</e1> later <t1>Monday</t1>, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in <t1>February</t1> and <e1>plunged</e1> Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an <e1>attempt</e1> on his life in <t1>October</t1>.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to <e1>receive</e1> the Mehlis report later <t1>Monday</t1>.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were <e1>killed</e1> in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge <e2>fearing</e2> his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
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AFTER
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id100520
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were <e1>killed</e1> in the attack which came just a day after Tueni <e2>returned</e2> to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
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AFTER
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id100521
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has <e1>come</e1> to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt <e2>said</e2>, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
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id100522
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has <e1>threatened</e1> international sanctions agains Syria, was <e2>due</e2> to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100523
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were <e1>wounded</e1> in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was <e2>heading</e2> in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100524
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was <e1>killed</e1> in June and one reporter with the paper <e2>said</e2> Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100525
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was <e1>due</e1> to hold a cabinet <e2>meeting</e2> later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
|
id100526
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October <e1>concluded</e1> that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to <e2>cooperate</e2> with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100527
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria <e1>denounces</e1> all attacks whoever the victims," he <e2>told</e2> LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100528
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud <e1>said</e1> he was "outraged" by the <e2>killing</e2>, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100529
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut <e1>branding</e1> it a "barbaric" <e2>murder</e2> of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100530
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
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AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I <e1>want</e1> an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," <e2>said</e2> Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100531
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt <e1>said</e1>, <e2>alluding</e2> to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100532
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt <e1>said</e1>, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, <e2>said</e2> that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100533
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who <e1>threatened</e1> on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt <e2>said</e2>, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100534
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world <e1>pay</e1> the price," Jumblatt <e2>said</e2>, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100535
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to <e1>make</e1> the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt <e2>said</e2>, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100536
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The <e1>attacks</e1> have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt <e2>said</e2>, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100537
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, <e1>said</e1> that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not <e2>good</e2>, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100538
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, <e1>said</e1> that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah <e2>denied</e2> any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100539
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, <e1>said</e1> that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would <e2>pay</e2>.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100540
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN <e1>sanctions</e1> against Damascus, <e2>said</e2> that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100541
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah <e1>denied</e1> any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he <e2>told</e2> LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100542
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he <e1>told</e1> LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not <e2>subscribe</e2> to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100543
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all <e1>attacks</e1> whoever the victims," he <e2>told</e2> LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100544
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not <e1>subscribe</e1> to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, <e2>charges</e2> Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100545
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other <e1>attacks</e1>, <e2>charges</e2> Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
INCLUDES
|
id100546
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese <e1>blame</e1> Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, <e2>charges</e2> Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100547
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, <e1>charges</e1> Syria <e2>denies</e2>.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100548
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, <t1>Dec 12 , 2005</t1>
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was <e1>due</e1> to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100549
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, <t1>Dec 12 , 2005</t1>
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, <e1>became</e1> an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100550
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, <e1>became</e1> an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper <e2>said</e2> Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100551
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," <e1>said</e1> Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, <e2>became</e2> an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100552
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who <e1>turned</e1> An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, <e2>became</e2> an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100553
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, <e1>became</e1> an MP after <e2>elections</e2> in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100554
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, <e1>became</e1> an MP after elections in May and June which <e2>gave</e2> anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100555
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," <e1>said</e1> Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an <e2>attempt</e2> on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100556
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was <e1>due</e1> to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," <e2>said</e2> Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100557
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," <e1>said</e1> Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself <e2>escaped</e2> an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100558
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes <e1>committed</e1> by Syria," <e2>said</e2> Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100559
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the <e1>supervision</e1> of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," <e2>said</e2> Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100560
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was <e1>due</e1> to <e2>receive</e2> the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100561
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing <e1>threw</e1> the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was <e2>due</e2> to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100562
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was <e1>due</e1> to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October <e2>concluded</e2> that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100563
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October <e1>concluded</e1> that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the <e2>killing</e2> and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100564
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The <e1>bombing</e1> also <e2>followed</e2> the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100565
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The <e1>bombing</e1> also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack <e2>blamed</e2> on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100566
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The <e1>bombing</e1> also followed the <e2>handover</e2> of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100567
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt <e1>pointed</e1> the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and <e2>plunged</e2> Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100568
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt <e1>pointed</e1> the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the <e2>blast</e2> that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100569
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt <e1>pointed</e1> the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil <e2>war</e2>.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100570
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The <e1>attacks</e1> have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad <e2>spending</e2> much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100571
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last <e1>attack</e1> was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was <e2>maimed</e2> by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100572
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when <t1>May Chidiac, 40</t1>, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was <e1>maimed</e1> by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
|
id100573
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper <e1>said</e1> Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last <e2>attack</e2> was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
SIMULTANEOUS
|
id100574
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and <t1>June</t1> which <e1>gave</e1> anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
|
id100575
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after <e1>elections</e1> in <t1>May</t1> and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
|
id100576
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud <e1>said</e1> he was "<e2>outraged</e2>" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100577
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud <e1>said</e1> he was "outraged" by the killing, <e2>describing</e2> Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
BEFORE
|
id100578
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were <e1>turned</e1> into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into <e2>neighbouring</e2> woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100579
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were <e1>wounded</e1> in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a <e2>convoy</e2> to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100580
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were <e1>killed</e1> in the attack which <e2>came</e2> just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
AFTER
|
id100581
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in <t1>April</t1> Damascus <e1>pulled</e1> out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
|
id100582
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was <e1>killed</e1> in <t1>June</t1> and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
IS_INCLUDED
|
id100583
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an <e1>attack</e1> blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who <e2>turned</e2> An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
NONE
|
id100584
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had taken refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in April Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in <t1>May</t1> and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in <t2>June</t2> and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
NONE
|
id100585
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328.tml
|
AFP_ENG_20051212.0328
BEIRUT, Dec 12 , 2005
ATTENTION - ADDS reax ///
A vocal anti-Syrian newspaper boss and lawmaker was killed in a massive car bombing in Lebanon Monday, the latest in a wave of attacks targeting critics of Damascus.
Police said the car bomb blew up near Gibran Tueni's armoured four-wheel drive vehicle, blasting it off the road into a ravine 100 metres (yards) away and engulfing it in flames.
Three other people were killed in the attack which came just a day after Tueni returned to Lebanon from France, where he had <e1>taken</e1> refuge fearing his life could be in danger.
The bombing also followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.
Tueni, the 48-year-old director of the top-selling An-Nahar newspaper, was killed as well as his driver Nicolas Flouti and two other people.
International condemnation was swift, with the US embassy in Beirut branding it a "barbaric" murder of one of Lebanon's "greatest champions for liberty and freedom".
Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said he was "outraged" by the killing, describing Tueni as Lebanon's "symbol of freedom".
"His death only serves the enemies of Lebanon who have been exerting all efforts to weaken the country."
About 30 other people were wounded in the attack in the Christian suburb of Mkalles as Tueni was heading in a convoy to his Beirut office at around 9 am (0700 GMT).
A dozen cars were turned into charred shells by the powerful blast, some flung into neighbouring woodland, and windows were shattered as far as 500 metres away.
Tueni's wife Siham rushed down into the ravine where teams from the Red Cross dragged her husband's body from the smouldering wreckage while police experts searched for clues.
Druze leader and fellow MP Walid Jumblatt pointed the finger at Syria over the bombing, the 13th such attack since the blast that killed Hariri in February and plunged Lebanon into chaos not seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The attacks have created a climate of fear in Lebanon, with several anti-Syrian figures such as Hariri's MP son Saad spending much of their time out of the country.
"The terrorist message has come to us... the person who threatened on television to make the whole world pay the price," Jumblatt said, alluding to remarks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Russian television on Sunday.
Assad, referring to possible UN sanctions against Damascus, said that if the situation in Syria and Iraq was not good, the Middle East would be unstable and the whole world would pay.
But Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied any role, and blamed "foreign interference."
"Syria denounces all attacks whoever the victims," he told LBC television. "Whatever the differences between this or that person, Syria does not subscribe to these methods, which are used by the numerous enemies of Lebanon."
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for Hariri's death and the other attacks, charges Syria denies.
But the Hariri killing threw the spotlight on to Syria's dominant role in its smaller neighbour and in <t1>April</t1> Damascus pulled out the last of its troops from Lebanese soil after a 29-year military presence.
The UN Security Council, which has threatened international sanctions agains Syria, was due to receive the Mehlis report later Monday.
His first report in October concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese security officials were implicated in the killing and chided Damascus for failing to cooperate with the probe.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was due to hold a cabinet meeting later Monday, where ministers were expected to call for an international tribunal to look into the attacks.
"I want an inquiry under the supervision of the Security Council on all the crimes committed by Syria," said Druze Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, who is Tueni's uncle and himself escaped an attempt on his life in October.
Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who turned An-Nahar (Today) into a veritable anti-Syrian tribunal, became an MP after elections in May and June which gave anti-Syrian parties a majority.
Another An-Nahar journalist, Samir Kassir, was killed in June and one reporter with the paper said Monday: "We are all afraid."
The last attack was on September 25 when May Chidiac, 40, a Christian news presenter and political talk show host, was maimed by a bomb in her car.
Married twice, Tueni was father of four girls, including twin daughters born just a few months ago.
|
NONE
|
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