BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The assassination of
Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, a supporter of the anti-Syrian
parliament majority, drew condemnations from around the world on Tuesday.
Gemayel, who was also a Christian leader in Lebanon
and son of former president Amin Gemayel, was killed earlier on Tuesday by a
gunshot on the head when his convoy was attacked on a street in Jedeide, about
15 km northeast of Beirut.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting at
the request of Lebanon. In a presidential statement read out by its President
for November, Jorge Voto- Bernales of Peru, the council condemned "any attempt
to destabilize Lebanon through political assassinations or other terrorist
acts."
"The council is gravely concerned by this
assassination and its possible impact on ongoing efforts by the government and
people of Lebanon to solidify democracy, extend the authority of the Lebanese
government throughout its territory and complete the reconstruction process,"
the statement said.
The council members called upon all parties in
Lebanon and the region to show restraint and a sense of responsibility with a
view to preventing any further deterioration of the situation in Lebanon.
In a statement released by his spokesman, UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was shocked to learn of Gemayel's
assassination.
"Such acts of terrorism undermine Lebanon's
stability, are unacceptable and have no place in a democratic and open society,"
Annan was quoted as saying.
The European Union (EU) also expressed shock over the
incident.
"I learn with shock the assassination of Pierre
Gemayel, Minister of Industry of Lebanon. My first thoughts go to his family
whose history is closely mixed with the history of Lebanon," said Javier Solana,
EU foreign policy and security chief, in a statement.
Finland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, used
stronger words.
"The presidency of the European Union condemns in the
strongest terms the brutal assassination of the Lebanese Industry Minister
Pierre Gemayel," it said.
The attack came at a time when the political
situation in Lebanon was already critically tense, it noted.
Finland also urged all parties to refrain from
activities that would further endanger the political stability of Lebanon and
reiterated the EU's support to the Lebanese government.
Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa
strongly condemned the assassination, Egypt's official news agency MENA
reported.
Terming the assassination as a "terrorist attack,"
Moussa warned the danger of sedition among the Lebanese in the wake of the
incident.
Moussa, as the chief of the pan-Arab organization,
also offeredhis condolences to the family of the victim and to the Lebanese
people, according to MENA.
U.S. President George W. Bush strongly condemned the
murder of Gemayel and warned of alleged attempts to stir instability in Lebanon.
"We strongly condemn the assassination today in
Lebanon of Pierre Gemayel," Bush told American troops in Hawaii during a trip
back home from Asia.
"We support the (Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad)
Siniora government and its democracy and we support the Lebanese people's desire
to live in peace and we support their efforts to defend their democracy," Bush
said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
made a telephone call to Siniora and reaffirmed U.S. support.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail
Kamynin said his country expected the perpetrators of the slaying to be brought
to justice.
"We resolutely denounce the crime and extend our
sincere condolences to (Gemayel's) family and relatives," Kamynin was quoted by
the Interfax news agency as saying.
"We demand that the organizers and perpetrators of
this act of atrocity and other terrorist attacks in Lebanon be found and brought
to justice," he said.
French President Jacques Chirac condemned the "odious
attack," saying "the assassins should be prosecuted and punished."
"Although Lebanon has been hit by this terrible
tragedy, Franceis convinced that the Lebanese people's will for independence,
freedom and democracy will emerge even stronger," Chirac said.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Gemayel's
death underlined the " absolute and urgent" need for a strategy that supports
democracy in the Middle East.
At a joint news conference after talks with his
visiting Greek counterpart Costas Karamanilis, Blair "utterly" condemned the
murder, saying the international community needed to do all it could to protect
democracy in Lebanon.
"This underlines once again the absolute and urgent
need for a strategy for the whole of the Middle East that supports those who
favor democracy and a proper way of resolving disputes everywhere," said Blair.
Related:
Lebanese minister shot dead in Beirut
BEIRUT,
Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Industry Minister and Christian leader Pierre
Gemayel was shot dead on a street in the suburb of Beirut on Tuesday, al-Jazeera
TV channel quoted the Lebanese Interior Ministry as saying.
Saad Hariri, parliament's majority leader and son of
the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, broke off his televised press
conference and confirmed the news, al-Jazeera said.
According to reports by Arabia TV, the minister was hit by a gunshot on his head when his convoy was attacked in Jedeide, about15 km northeast from Beirut.
