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Mr. Rafic Hariri has been at the helm
of five governments in Lebanon
since 1992. For over a decade,
Prime Minister Hariri has
presided over the physical and
economic reconstruction of a
Lebanon torn by war. No such
work has ever been accomplished
under this limited time frame
and conditions. Prime Minister
Hariri is heading the current
government after having been
elected to office in April 17,
2003 and having received the
support of 93 out of the 128
Members of the Lebanese
Parliament.
Mr.
Hariri was born in Sidon,
Lebanon, in 1944, to parents who
were dedicated to their three
children, Rafic, Shafic, and
Bahia. Mr. Hariri studied at
elementary and secondary schools
in Sidon, and pursued university
studies at the Arab University
of Beirut, majoring in commerce.
He moved to Saudi Arabia in 1965
in search of a better life,
working there as a school
teacher, and as an accountant
before starting his business as
an entrepreneur, which took him
very far thanks to his hard
work, perseverance and ethics.
He was able to build and deliver
a hotel in Taef, Saudi Arabia in
six months, a task rather
impossible. There he married
Mrs. Nazik Audeh Hariri and are
parents to seven children and
now seven grandchildren.
Mr. Hariri is a philanthropist, a
self-made man who built his
businesses single-handedly on
the basis of his reputation as
an honest, credible and
trustworthy partner in all his
endeavors. He believes that
trust is the most important
asset that guides people,
personal and business relations
alike. He is also renowned for
his efficiency and dedication to
his work and to every cause he
champions as his quick rise in
Saudi Arabia shows.
Mr. Hariri began his involvement
in the political and economic
life of his country long before
he became prime minister. As a
Lebanese businessman living in
Saudi Arabia, he was concerned
about the ongoing strife in
Lebanon and he played a
behind-the-scenes role as a
mediator, advisor and promoter
of cease-fires and agreements to
end the civil war. He invested
his time and contacts in the
Arab world and outside to bring
peace to his war-torn country.
In 1982 for example, after the
Israeli invasion, his firm, Oger
Liban, became actively involved
in the removal of destroyed
buildings, the opening of
streets and roads littered with
roadblocks and sand bags, which
paved the way for the resumption
of normal life in the Lebanese
capital.
In 1984, Mr. Hariri participated
in the Geneva and Lausanne
conferences to bring about
political reconciliation in
Lebanon and helped broker
initiatives to put an end to the
civil war.
In 1989, Mr. Hariri was the
power behind the Taef Agreement,
which succeeded in ending the
war and the drafting of a new
constitution for Lebanon. This
agreement was the political
contract that laid down the
principles of national
reconciliation, which governs
political life in Lebanon today.
THE YEARS OF PREMIERSHIP
Mr. Hariri returned to Lebanon
in 1992 to assume office as
prime minister after 28 years of
living and working in Saudi
Arabia. He formed his first
government on October 22, 1992.
He shouldered the responsibility
for helping guide a country that
had just emerged from 17 years
of civil war with all the legacy
of that conflict: massive
physical damage, an economy in
tatters, and political
divisions.
As President of the Council of
Ministers, Mr. Hariri took up
the challenge. He immediately
ushered Lebanon into the
post-war era, starting a massive
reconstruction effort that
transformed Lebanon, in less
than six years, from a war-torn
country to a huge reconstruction
site domestically, and a
respected player on the
international scene. Prime
Minister Hariri declared
everything a priority when he
was faced with the question of
what to start rebuilding first:
schools, hospitals,
infrastructure, or the economy?
At the same time, the government
focused on stabilizing the
Lebanese pound and rebuilding
infrastructure through restoring
basic services in the country,
i.e. water, electricity, phones,
and cleaning Beirut of the
debris of the war. The President
of the Council of Ministers also
paid special attention to the
social, educational and health
problems that Lebanon was facing
as a result of the war.
In April 1993, Mr. Hariri,
established the Ministry for the
Displaced to help thousands of
people who were forced to flee
their homes during the war to
return to their towns and
villages. In that same year
(July 25, 1993) however the
country became the scene of a
seven-day bombing campaign
against Lebanon and its civilian
population. Prime Minister
Hariri called for an emergency
Arab meeting, held in Damascus,
and secured Arab support for
Lebanon.
Despite these events, Mr. Hariri
launched in May of 1994 the
project to rebuild the Beirut
Central District (BCD), which
was totally destroyed during the
war. Mr. Hariri believed then,
and still believes today, that
rebuilding the heart of Beirut
would bring life to all of
Lebanon. He proved to be right.
The heart of Beirut is now the
meeting place for all Lebanese
and also for Arabs and
foreigners at large, who come by
the thousands to enjoy Beirut.
It is now the financial district
and centre of the country's
institutions. Among all of the
reconstruction projects launched
by his governments, the
reconstruction of downtown
Beirut is the closest to Mr.
Hariri's heart and the one he
worked on long before becoming
Prime Minister. The
reconstruction process was
undertaken during the continued
Israeli occupation of South
Lebanon and the constant threat
of Israeli attacks against the
country's infrastructure,
especially its electricity
sector.
In May 1995, the President of
the Council of Ministers Mr.
Rafic Hariri formed his second
government and he set about
continuing the process of
reconstruction.
In the spring of 1996, Israel
launched an attack against
Lebanon, killing more than one
hundred Lebanese civilians at a
UN post in Qana in South
Lebanon, as part of a military
campaign that Israel called the
Grapes of Wrath. Prime Minister
Hariri launched a diplomatic
campaign to stop the Israeli
aggression. His efforts
succeeded in focusing world
attention on the Israeli
occupation of South Lebanon and
culminated in a ceasefire
agreement, known as the April
Understanding. This
understanding forced Israel to
accept, for the first time,
keeping civilians out of the
military confrontation in South
Lebanon. The parties to the
understanding formed a
Monitoring Group to oversee
compliance with the ceasefire,
and agreed on a framework to
assist in the reconstruction of
Lebanon. Since then the overall
situation has stabilized and the
country has registered positive
signs of growth.
On September 1, 1996, Lebanon
held a round of parliamentary
elections and Prime Minister
Rafic Hariri was elected a
Member of Parliament along with
thirteen candidates on his
electoral list. He formed his
first parliamentary bloc. On
November 25, 1996, Prime
Minister Hariri was asked to
form his third consecutive
government. Under this
government, in the summer of
1998, Lebanon held its first
municipal elections for 35
years. The government reopened
the new Beirut International
airport and succeeded in
breaking down international
isolation through the lifting of
American travel restrictions.
On October 23, 2000, the
President of the Council of
Ministers, Mr. Rafic Hariri, was
designated to form his fourth
cabinet, after his parliamentary
bloc won all of the seats in
Beirut on September 3, 2000. The
Prime Minister won the support
of 106 out of the 128 MPs to
form a government.
Reviving the economy has been at
the core of Hariri's strategy
and attracting foreign investors
back to Lebanon after a long
absence was seen as primordial.
On October 20, 2004, Mr. Hariri
presented the resignation of his
government, declining to form a
new government.
THE MARTYRDOM
Former Prime Minister Rafic
Hariri was assassinated in an
explosion that targeted his
motorcade on a Beirut waterfront
road, killing the late Lebanese
leader, seven of his bodyguards
and bystanders. Dozens were also
injured. Mr. Hariri had just
left Parliament when the attack
took place.
The late Lebanese leader's
family issued a statement
describing the attack as a
criminal act and declared Mr.
Hariri a martyr for the entire
nation.
Lebanon and the whole world paid
farewell to Martyr PM Rafic
Hariri and his seven companions
in a huge popular and historic
funeral procession that went
through the streets of Beirut
heading toward Mohammed Al Amin
Mosque in Beirut's Central
District, where they were laid
to rest. An outstanding
Lebanese, Arab and international
participation characterized the
procession, which hardly went
through the huge crowds, who
came from all Lebanese regions
and sects, raising Lebanese
flags and pictures of Martyr
Prime Minister and his
companions. During the
procession, Church bells were
ringing in the capital, while
verses from the Quran were
broadcasted from the mosques.
Many Arab and international
officials attended the funeral
and countless eminent figures
and dignitaries shared the grief
and sorrow of Hariri family and
the Lebanese people by paying
tribute to Martyr PM Rafic
Hariri. French President Jacques
Chirac and his wife, many
members of the Saudi royal
family as well as members from
the Kuwaiti ruling family and
numerous Arab and international
political figures also came to
present their condolences.
The Hariri family also received
condolences at the late leader's
residence in Majdelyoun (Saida)
and later in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, where Crown Prince
Abdullah Ben Abdel Aziz was
among the first visitors to
offer his condolences,
expressing his grief and
bereavement for the loss of a
great Arab leader and friend.
The Lebanese community in the
Kingdom also came to extend
condolences.
INTERNATIONAL
ACHIEVEMENTS
FRIENDS OF
LEBANON
In December 1996, the first
international conference whose
only target was to help Lebanon
was held at the State Department
in Washington, under the
auspices of the United States
with Prime Minister Hariri as
co-chairman of the conference.
Representatives of international
organizations, financial
institutions and businesses of
more than thirty countries
attended the conference. Many of
the participating countries
pledged financial or technical
help for Lebanon. It was crucial
for Lebanon to return to the
financial scene and continue to
raise the capital needed to
sustain the reconstruction and
development effort. To that end
two major conferences, PARIS I
and PARIS II were held
subsequently in order to request
help from the international
community to help Lebanon manage
its public debt.
PARIS I
On February 27, 2001, Prime
Minister Hariri headed the
Lebanese delegation to the
second Friends of Lebanon
conference at the Elyse Palace
in Paris under the auspices of
French President Jacques Chirac.
The conference was dubbed the
Paris I meeting. This meeting
was attended, in addition to
Prime Minister Hariri and
President Chirac, by EU
Commissioner Romano Prodi, World
Bank President James Wolfensohn,
European Investment Bank
Vice-President Francis Meyer,
French Finance Minister Laurent
Fabius, and other prominent
European, French and Lebanese
officials.
Key reform initiatives
presented: Prime Minister Hariri
presented his governments
economic reform program, which
was based on several basic
elements:
·
Stimulating and modernizing the
economy,
·
Following up the process of
modernizing the tax system
Ensuring the structural
improvement of general public
finances
Preserving monetary and
financial stability as well as
price stability.
Results of
the conference: The Lebanese
governments reform program won
the support of the participants
of the conference, and the World
Bank and the European Investment
Bank agreed to provide Lebanon
with 500 million Euros to
finance development projects.
PARIS II
On November 23, 2002, President
Jacques Chirac of France hosted
the "Paris II" meeting at the
Elyse Palace, entitled: After
Construction and Recovery,
Toward Sustainable Development.
Paris II was attended by key
officials from several countries
and multilateral institutions.
Objective of the conference: To
seek support of the
international community in
helping Lebanon in its endeavor
to alleviate the burden of the
public debt and to reverse the
macroeconomic and fiscal
imbalances of the Lebanese
economy. The help would consist
in extending long-term financing
at interest rates significantly
lower than the rates at which
the government borrowed in the
domestic and international
markets.
Convening this conference was an
unprecedented positive sign of
the economic and political
support made available to
Lebanon. It reflected the
consensus of the international
community on the governments
commitment towards Lebanon
financial and economic program.
Key reform initiatives
presented:
·
Structural reform of the various
administrations and institutions
·
Boosting productivity of the
public sector and improving
competitiveness
·
Stimulating economic growth and
improving the investment climate
·
Results of the conference:
According to the Ministry of
Finance, $10.1 million of grants
and loans resulted from Paris
II. Funds amounting to $ 2.4
billion were provided by seven
lending countries, $3.6 billion
from a scheme arranged by
commercial banks operating in
Lebanon and $4.1 billion from
the Central Bank scheme.
THE HARIRI
FOUNDATION
If there is anything that defines Mr.
Hariri and points to his
proudest achievement, it is, by
his acknowledgement, the Hariri
Foundation. It is a testimony to
the importance that he gives to
education and future
generations. He admits that the
work of the foundation is the
closest to his heart. He founded
the Hariri Foundation in 1979, a
non-profit organization that
helped educate more than 33.000
Lebanese students in the best
universities in Lebanon, the
U.S., the U.K, France, and
Canada.
The Hariri Foundation provides also
health, social and cultural
services to the needy in Lebanon
as well as promotes cultural
issues and children welfare. It
maintains offices in Lebanon,
Paris and Washington.
In
recognition of the Hariri
Foundation's commitment to
education and culture, it has
granted scholarships, built
schools and colleges throughout
Lebanon and sponsored efforts to
preserve Islamic architecture
and refurbished mosques, the
Foundation won "King Faisal
International Award for Serving
Islam", for the year 2005,
equally with the Islamic Bank
for Development, in Jeddah. |
