Lawmaker and 9 others killed in Lebanon blast

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A bomb ripped through the car of a vocal anti-Syrian lawmaker near the popular waterfront in the Lebanese capital yesterday, killing him and nine other people in the latest assassination of a Lebanese opponent of Damascus.

The blast, a new strike at the stability of this conflict-torn nation, comes days after the government began putting together an international tribunal ordered by the United Nations to try suspects in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut two years ago, a move strongly opposed by Syria and its allies in Lebanon.

The slain lawmaker, Walid Eido, was a supporter of the tribunal and a close friend of Hariri's. He is the seventh anti-Syrian figure killed in Lebanon in the last two years.

Eido's supporters quickly blamed Syria for yesterday's bomb attack. Hariri's son, Saad, the leader of the anti-Syrian majority bloc in parliament, indirectly accused Damascus, saying "agencies of evil" seeking "Lebanon's submission" carried out the blast.

Syria controlled Lebanon for 29 years until it was forced out after Hariri's assassination, and its Lebanese opponents believe it is seeking to regain domination by plunging the country into chaos.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora declared a national day of mourning today for Eido and the other victims. He also called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers and the international community to help in the investigation of the assassination.

"Lebanon and the Lebanese will not submit to terrorism or intimidation. We will not surrender to terrorism and we will triumph. Lebanon will survive," he said.

Yesterday's blast came as Lebanon is dealing with a separate conflict that threatens to spiral out of control: a nearly four-week-old battle with al-Qaeda-inspired extremists barricaded inside a Palestinian refugee camp near the northern city of Tripoli. More than 140 people have been killed.

Shimon Peres, who helped build the Israeli army, served as prime minister in difficult times, and won the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts with the Palestinians, was chosen by parliament as Israel's president yesterday.

By winning the vote, the 83-year-old broke a record of electoral defeats and pledged to restore the dignity of the largely ceremonial office.

Born in Poland in 1923, he immigrated to British- controlled Palestine in the mid-1930s. He was a founding member of the Labor Party.

He takes office July 15 for a seven-year term, replacing Moshe Katsav, who faces sexual-

assault allegations.

- Associated PressEndText