Larsen: I warned Hariri of assassination attempt

UN Special Envoy for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1559 Terry Roed Larsen stated that he believes that “most of Cedar Revolution martyrs were assassinated because they supported the UNSC resolution 1559 to free Lebanon from the Syrian occupation.” Roed Larsen said he warned former PM Rafik Hariri of his assassination a couple of days before the incident as Larsen knew that terrorist groups were willing to carry out similar activities in Lebanon. “I warned Hariri that UNSC resolution 1559’s enemy will not rest until they get their revenge; I believed that he was the first one on their black list, and I urged him to leave Lebanon” Larsen said. Larsen made the statements during an conference on Stephen Kaufman’s book ‘The Road to 1559’, organised by the Lebanese Centre for Partnership and Renaissance, in cooperation with the Lebanese Centre for Information in New York. The seminar was run by Rita Zaani and Ambassador Richard Murphy, who discussed at length the “negative impact” of Hafiz Assad’s regime and his son Bashar. Larsen agreed, adding the incidents in Syria are evidence of the Syrian regime's brutality. Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scott Carpenter stated that the aim of the UNSC resolution 1559 was to help the Lebanese people gain their independence and sovereignty of their country.