On Thursday, Lebanon marks the eighth anniversary of the assassination of its great martyr, former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, and his comrades. On this painful day in the history of Lebanon, one should take note of what has happened since then in Lebanon and Syria. An international tribunal was established, thanks to the efforts of France and the international community, but none of the four accused men has been apprehended, on the pretext that they are not in Lebanon and the Lebanese authorities cannot find them. Since that assassination, there has been a series of other similar killings, of journalists and politicians, such as Samir Kassir, Gebran Tueni, Pierre Gemayel, George Hawi and Walid Eido. There have been many martyrs and no one has been arrested. Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan discovered a plot by the Syrian regime that was delegated to former Lebanese minister Michel Samaha to carry out; al-Hassan was martyred, and no one was arrested. Since the assassination of al-Hariri and with him Bassel Fleihan, there has been increased division in Lebanon between supporters of the Syrian and Iranian regimes, and those who call for free Lebanese decision-making and refuse to submit to the demands of two regimes that rule their people through torture and murder. Since 2005 Lebanon has been paralyzed on all fronts, and during the last two years the economic situation has experienced a dangerous deterioration. Lebanon is not suffering from international pressure like Syria, but it does seem as if it is being punished, because the agents of the Syrian regime in Lebanon are unaware that everything they do repels Arab investment and tourism by Arabs and foreigners. They are destroying everything that Hariri wanted for his country, namely to become an international center for trade, tourism and services, and occupy a place among the world's most developed places. Today, conditions have deteriorated in Syria and the Syrian regime is no longer content to kill people in Lebanon; it has killed more than 70,000 people in Syria. It continues to reject a transition of power to democratic groups and it relies on Russia and Iran for support for this killing and bloodshed that we are seeing today in Syria, while its agents in Lebanon continue to provide all possible support, at the expense of their country's interest. Since the assassination of al-Hariri, sectarian tension has increased in Lebanon and in the region, and the war in Syria and the stance towards it by US President Barack Obama is disappointing, because of how weak it is, as well as because of his refusal to approve armed support for the free people in Syria. The commemoration of al-Hariri's assassination is an occasion for democratic countries, including France, to note that the time is past when France, the state of human rights, disregarded the crimes of Moammar Gaddafi, Hafez Assad and Bashar Assad, and opened its doors to them. The first lesson for European countries today is to not be lenient with those who killed opposition politician Shokri Belaid in Tunisia. They should be strict and united in their stance vis-à-vis regimes that commit murder and take their peoples as hostages. France's history with Syria is not honorable for a great democratic country, and this appears to be being corrected under President Francois Hollande. France under Francois Mitterand forgave Hafez Assad for assassinating its ambassador in Beirut, Louis Delamare; the late French president visited Syria in 1984, contrary to the view of the then-foreign minister, the late Claude Cheysson. France under Chirac opened its doors to both Assads, with an encouraging wink from his friend, the late Rafiq al-Hariri, who was convinced that a Syria that was prosperous and open would help in Lebanon's recovery. Then, al-Hariri was assassinated and Chirac boycotted the Syrian regime. Then came President Nicolas Sarkozy, believing that he could convince Syria to give France a role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace track. He received Assad with the accustomed fanfare, forgetting about his crimes in Lebanon. Afterward, Assad launched a coup against the government of Saad al-Hariri, bringing in a Hezbollah government, and Sarkozy realized his error. Then, the Syrian regime began to kill its people. The British and American governments have also forgiven the crimes of Gaddafi in return for a payment for the victims of two civilian plane explosions. The west is very much responsible, and it should not forgive those who carry out assassinations, murder and oppression, as in Egypt today. There should be firm positions taken against these regime's violations of the rights of their peoples. This should be strongly communicated to the new regimes of the so-called Arab Spring. The assassination of al-Hariri and his comrades should be a lesson for the democratic states that helped establish the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, while also opening their doors to the killer, until he began killing his own people.
