MP Saad Rafic Hariri enlisted Turkey’s support in helping implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1595, which established the international commission that is investigating the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Mr. Saad who met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the presence of Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in New York City, said Turkey responded positively to his request to help execute the Resolution.
The head of the Future bloc in Parliament has been meeting senior officials who are taking part in the World Summit at the UN headquarters in New York. He met the Turkish leader at the country’s mission in the UN. Premier Erdogan praised Turkish-Lebanese relations as very fruitful and hailed the strong friendship that he had with late Prime Minister Hariri. He also reaffirmed backing for Security Council Resolution 1595, and told reporters that Middle East peace can be achieved if there is cooperation.
For his part, Foreign Minister Gul voiced strong backing for Lebanon’s stability and said they discussed the ongoing probe into the February murder of Premier Hariri, led by chief prosecutor Mr. Detlev Mehlis. Asked about his country’s stance if Syria refused to allow investigators to question Syrian officers, Mr. Gul pointed out that two Turkish experts are participating in the team and expressed confidence that the final report of the probe will be “very realistic” and satisfactory.
MP Hariri also spoke to reporters. He praised historic ties with Ankara and vowed to cement the strong bonds that the assassinated Prime Minister enjoyed with Mr. Erdogan. Mr. Saad said he asked Turkey to help implement Resolution 1595 and that the response was positive. He stressed that the focus is now on the final report of the UN commission and the steps that will follow, including the possibility of establishing an international court to put the suspects on trial.