US condemns car bomb attack in Lebanon
The US strongly condemns the car bomb attack in Lebanon which killed anti-Syrian member of Lebanese Parliament.
The United States has strongly condemned the car bomb attack in Lebanon which killed anti-Syrian member of Lebanese Parliament and nine others but stopped short of directly blaming Damascus for the outrage.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he could not say at this time who is behind the attack but noted Syria does not recognise Lebanon's sovereignty and this is clearly the work of those who intend or want to undermine Lebanese democracy.
"The aim of the attack is only to silence yet another Lebanese political leader working for a sovereign and democratic Lebanon and adds to the country's unsolved bombings," the State Department said in a statement.
Lebanese MP Walid Eido, 65, his eldest son Khaled and eight others were killed in the blast.
Washington also called for expeditious establishment of Special International Tribunal for Lebanon which the United Nations is setting up to try those suspected of having hand in the killing former premier Rafik al-Hariri in which some senior Syrian leaders are alleged to have been involved.
"The Lebanese people deserve to know the truth behind this attack and others like it. The expeditious establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is an important step in bringing to justice those behind similar crimes and for putting an end to political violence in Lebanon," it said.
"This act of violence is clearly meant to undermine and subvert the resolve of the Lebanese people and the Lebanese democratic process to try to build a more prosperous, stable, free Lebanon that is free from outside influence," McCormack said.