The mentally limited president believed that people would mourn Hariri for only two days.
Former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam has declared that the Syrian president cannot hope to find a resolution that would absolve him of responsibility for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Khaddam informed the French magazine Le Boin that Bashar Al-Assad personally made the decision to eliminate Hariri, with his brother-in-law Asif Shawkat and his brother Maher acting as instruments in his hands. Consequently, he cannot allow them to face charges. I am confident that Britain, the United States, and France will not accept any settlement regarding the work of the International Commission of Inquiry. Even if the head of the International Commission of Inquiry were to agree to a settlement under pressure, there are reports that provide evidence of the involvement of Syrian agencies in the assassination, and the Lebanese possess some of these reports. Hence, he will not go unpunished.
When asked about the reasons that may have led the Syrian president to order Hariri’s assassination, Khaddam stated that Bashar Al-Assad believed he was under threat. Having grown up in the presidential residence, he was accustomed to being unaccountable to anyone. In the summer of 2004, he was informed that Hariri would form an alliance with Christians and secure an absolute majority in Parliament. Hariri would then demand the withdrawal of Syrian forces and open financial investigations. Bashar perceived the situation as grave, but he underestimated the reaction in Lebanon and the world. He displayed limited mental capacity.
