Obituary: Rafik Hariri

Hariri dominated post-war Lebanon politically and financially

Rafik Hariri loved to project himself as Mr Lebanon.

The former prime minister dominated the country's post-war political and business life and is widely credited with getting the country back on its feet after the devastating 15-year civil war.

Using his financial clout, the billionaire entrepreneur attracted foreign investment and set up private redevelopment firms to rebuild the business heart of Beirut.

In the process he saddled the country with big debts and departed from power in 1998 after a row with President Emile Lahoud.

But he bounced back - returning to the post of prime minister in 2000 for another four years, only to fall out again over Syria's role in the country.

Saudi fortune

Unlike many key figures in Levantine politics, Hariri did not come from a political family or powerful clan. Rather, he was born in 1944 to a poor Sunni Muslim family in the southern port of Sidon.

After training as a teacher, he went abroad to seek his fortune, following a path well-trodden by many of his countrymen.

He found employment in a construction firm in Saudi Arabia, eventually establishing his own firm, Saudi Oger.

RAFIK HARIRI Prime minister 1992-98 and 2000-04 Self-made billionaire Trained as a teacher, but founded a successful construction company in Saudi Arabia Born in 1944 to a poor Sunni Muslim family in the southern Lebanese port of Sidon

He became the personal contractor for Prince Fahd, who went on to become king of Saudi Arabia, and amassed a fortune that propelled him into the US magazine Forbes as one of the richest 100 men in the world.

One conservative estimate put his fortune at $3.8bn, and his business interests in Lebanon included a vast property and media empire.

A flamboyant figure, he was well regarded among international leaders, counting French President Jacques Chirac as a close friend.

Even after he left the premiership and joined the opposition, he continued to receive high-powered international guests.

High hopes

When he returned from Saudi Arabia in 1992 as prime minister, he was seen as a breath of fresh air in a country dominated by former militia leaders.

Ordinary people pinned hopes on the dynamic tycoon to restore Beirut's pre-war reputation as a leading financial centre.

He put the country back on the international financial map through the issuing of Eurobonds and won plaudits from the World Bank for his plan to borrow and beg for reconstruction money.

Hariri (left) was widely respected by world leaders

But his economic record was mixed: his ambitious borrow-and-build schemes left massive public debt and budget deficit, which pushed up interest rates and slowed growth.

He was accused of ignoring the poor, despite his long record of funding charitable causes.

Ordinary Lebanese began to judge him by the same standards of cynicism applied to other politicians, many of whom had made their fortunes in civil war activities.

When he left power in 1998, it came about partly because Hariri was reluctant to play second fiddle to President Lahoud, a former army chief.

Hariri's legacy was further tainted by accusations that his government had sucked the country dry, and a number of government officials were investigated for corruption.

But it would only be two years until a return to power. Hariri was back in October 2000, taking his old job back off the political veteran Selim al-Hoss.

He presided over a revival in Lebanon's tourism industry, largely thanks to hundreds of thousands of visiting Gulf Arabs, but he again fell out with his pro-Syrian government colleagues during the crisis over the extension of President Lahoud's term in office.

He never overtly came out against Syria in the dispute, but his resignation in October 2004 was taken as a clear protest against the Syrian pressure to keep Mr Lahoud in office.