Arab media outrage at Hariri killing

By Sebastian Usher
BBC world media correspondent

Mr Hariri's business interests brought him fame beyond Lebanon

The killing of Rafik Hariri has caused shock and horror not just in Lebanon, but around the Arab world.

Mr Hariri's business and media interests meant that his influence was felt well beyond Lebanon's borders.

His TV station, Future TV, is one of the most popular in the Arab world.

Other Arab satellite channels, like al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya, have run continuous coverage in the wake of his death.

They have provided a forum for a host of Arab politicians and commentators not just to express their sadness, but also their suspicions over who might have killed him - and fears for what the future might hold.

Future TV had the rare and melancholy task of announcing the assassination of its owner.

The presenter described Mr Hariri as a martyr for Lebanon who had died at the hands of criminals.

The station then moved straight into mourning, with a screen showing verses from the Koran and recitations from the Muslim holy book on the soundtrack.

Later, it began to show news reports again, with a black band half covering its logo.

It focused on the growing demonstrations in Beirut and other Lebanese cities condemning the killing.

Young Lebanese men were shown marching through Beirut's commercial centre, shaking their fists and chanting.

The country's once bitterly opposed political elite were shown united in a news conference condemning the killing - former enemies side by side.

'Sister of Lebanon'

Other Lebanese stations like LBCSAT did not shy away from the full horror of the blast and its aftermath, reawakening nightmare memories of the country's civil war.

Outrage at Mr Hariri's killing has resounded across the Arab world

Al-Manar - the station known in Lebanon as Hezbollah TV - issued a statement from Hezbollah's leaders denouncing the killing and warning of the dangers it could provoke.

The main pan-Arab stations, al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya, had rolling coverage, showing the terrible devastation of the attack on a continuous loop while interviewing a host of Arab voices.

One of the first on air was the Syrian Information Minister, Mahdi Dakhlallah, denying any Syrian involvement and castigating those who suggested it might have had a hand in it.

"That point of view is either stupid, ignorant or does not know how to read the facts. This act is the work of an enemy of Lebanon. Syria cannot be an enemy of Lebanon. Syria is the sister of Lebanon; it is the sister in blood and destiny of Lebanon," he said.

Civil war memories

But others had a very different idea. Speaking from Paris, General Michel Aoun - a former Lebanese leader and strong opponent of Syria - voiced exactly the suspicions that Damascus has denied.

"I think those who assassinated Prime Minister Hariri, may God have mercy on him, are those who are currently working against the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty and independence and those who are attempting to foil the international resolution which provides for restoring Lebanon's sovereignty, withdrawing the Syrian Army, and establishing stability there," he said.

The one feeling shared by those interviewed on Arab stations in the wake of Mr Hariri's killing was fear of its consequences - not just for Lebanon and Syria but for the whole region.

The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, told al-Arabiya of his concerns: "This is a sign of serious sedition in Lebanon and the Arab world. We ask God to bless the soul of this great person, spare Lebanon this sedition and spare the Arab world any serious repercussions of the sort we are witnessing day after day."

The theories over who might have killed Mr Hariri and why are continuing to swirl around the Middle East, but the dominant sense in the region's media is still shock at an assassination that has sharply revived memories of the 16-year-long civil war in Lebanon - a bitter conflict whose wounds have never yet healed.