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| The coffin of one of the bodyguards of
Lebanon's slain former prime minister Rafiq Hariri is carried during a
mass funeral in central Beirut. (AFP) |
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| The national flag-draped coffin of
Lebanon's slain former prime minister Rafiq Hariri is carried to his final
resting place during his funeral in Beirut. Hariri was laid to rest after
frenzied Lebanese mourners mobbed the coffin of their former leader whose
slaying has raised fears for the future of a nation still haunted by
memories of civil war. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP) |
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| Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese mourners
gathered at the Mohamed Al Amin Mosque in the capital Beirut on Wednesday
to pay last tribute to former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri killed in a
suicide car bombing on Monday. (Photo:
Xinhua/AFP) |
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| Daughter Hind al-Harir (R) and son Fahd
al-Hariri mourn with family members around the coffin of their father,
former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, in Beirut February 16.
(Reuters) |
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| Invited dignitaries, including American
assistant secretary of state for Middle East Affairs William Burns, third
from left and Syrian Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam, far right, sit
during the funeral of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in
Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Feb. 16. (AP) |
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| Palestinian children mark the death of
former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, at the Rafah refugee camp in
the southern Gaza Strip . Hariri was killed in a massive explosion with
seven of his bodyguards in the Lebanese capital two days
ago.(AFP) |
BEIRUT, Feb. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Hundreds of thousands
of Lebanese mourners gathered at the Mohamed Al Amin Mosque in the capital
Beirut on Wednesday to pay last tribute to former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri
killed in a suicide car bombing on Monday.
Hariri was buried
in the unfinished mosque which he had financed after the mass funeral procession
escorting an ambulance carrying Hariri's coffin covered with national flag
marched through the main streets to the mosque in central
Beirut.
French President Jacques Chirac was due to arrive in
Beirut on Wednesday to present his condolences to the family of Hariri but
appeared unlikely to attend the funeral in time.
Among
foreign dignitaries at the funeral were EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana,
US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns and Arab League Secretary-General
Amr Moussa as well as other Arab and European ministers.
Hariri, 60, died on Monday when his motorcade was blown up by a suicide car
bomber in western Beirut seafront. At least 14 others were
killed.
It was too early to say who killed Hariri who
resigned as prime minister last October though oppositions held Syria and its
allied Lebanese government responsible for Hariri's murder.
The bombing has also led to renewed international pressure led by the US and
France for Syria to withdraw its 14,000 troops from neighboring
Lebanon. Enditem |