International Community Calls for a Free and Sovereign Lebanon

BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's funeral Wednesday provided an opportunity for the international community to reiterate its calls for the restoration of Lebanon's full independence and for free parliamentary elections to be held this spring as scheduled.

In the face of mounting pressure, Syria announced it was forming a united front with Iran, to counter threats.

"Mr. Hariri's death should give renewed impetus to achieving a free, independent and sovereign Lebanon," Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns said after talks with Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud in Beirut. "What that means is the immediate and complete implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, and what that means is the complete and immediate withdrawal by Syria."

Although not accusing Syria of orchestrating Hariri's assassination outright, Washington has significantly stepped up pressure on Damascus since Monday's killing.

Most significantly, the Bush administration announced it was recalling its ambassador to Syria indefinitely, a move denounced by some Syrian analysts as unjustifiable.

"It is an unjustified escalation at this point that aims at sending a message," said Imad Fawzi Shoueibi, a Syrian political analyst who routinely expresses views shared by the Syrian government. "It reveals an underlying attempt to accuse Syria of having a role in what takes place in Lebanon."

Burns made no attempts at downplaying the move, telling The Daily Star that Ambassador Margaret Scobey had been recalled to "send a very strong and clear signal about our increasing concern about Syrian behavior.

"Part of the purpose of those consultations we will have on Syria is obviously to review what further options exist, including those that are contained in the Syria Accountability Act," he said.

According to Middle East expert Jon Alterman, the rapid current degradation between Washington and Damascus could go far.

"The logical end point for the current deterioration in US-Syrian ties, is that it reaches the level of relations Washington had with Libya in 1995," Alterman, the director for the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told The Daily Star. "That represents the maximum degree of estrangement, with presidential sanctions, legislative sanctions, and international sanctions. It could possibly go that far."

In the face of sharpening US rhetoric, Damascus announced Wednesday that it was forming a united front with Tehran, state television reported.

"At this sensitive point, the two countries require a united front due to numerous challenges," Syrian Premier Mohammed Naji Otari said after meeting with Iran's first Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref.

"In view of the special conditions faced by Syria, Iran will transfer its experience, especially concerning sanctions, to Syria," Aref was quoted as saying.

The report did not specifically mention the challenges, but Iran has also been on the receiving end of escalating US threats, due to its nuclear program, and figures on President George W. Bush's infamous "axis of evil."

Tehran and Damascus have been strategic allies for years.

In Beirut, foreign dignitaries and officials paying their respects to the slain former prime minister, reiterated their support for an independent Lebanon.

Most note-worthy was the attendance of French President Jacques Chirac, the highest foreign dignitary present, whose visit was politically charged.

France, one of the main architects of UN Resolution 1559, has asked for an international investigation into Hariri's killing, and led the drafting of a UN declaration requesting a report on the crime.

A close friend of Hariri, Chirac's visit remained under debate until the last minute, due to the security risks involved, and the tense relations with the Syrian backed Lebanese government, which was not invited to the funeral.

No Lebanese government official was at the airport to greet the French president - an indication of the diplomatic rift.

Chirac made a brief emotional statement, saying Hariri "held up the banner of democracy, sovereignty, independence and liberty for Lebanon." He then went on to pay his condolences to the Hariri family at Qoreitem and visited the premier's burial site, as well as the site of the blast.

Also praising Hariri's contribution to promoting democracy in Lebanon was EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who called for his death to act as a spur toward free elections in a "sovereign" Lebanon.

In a veiled warning to Syria, the official in Brussels said: "There can be no greater tribute to the memory of Mr. Hariri than the holding of free and fair legislative elections in Lebanon this spring, under the sovereign control of the Lebanese authorities."