BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met Lebanon’s rival leaders yesterday to stave off a crisis over a tribunal that may indict Hezbollah members in the killing of Lebanese statesman Rafik al-Hariri.
Hariri’s 2005 assassination set off a huge political tremor in Lebanon, where the repercussions are still playing out five years later. The dramatic joint Saudi-Syrian visit to Beirut demonstrated urgent Arab concern to calm tensions in Lebanon.
A statement from the Lebanese presidency said the leaders had discussed “ways to reinforce national accord and Lebanon’s stability” and stressed the need to avoid violence.
Assad and Abdullah are alarmed by the political ferment set off by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah this month when he said Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri had told him the tribunal would indict “rogue” Hezbollah members for his father’s killing.
