[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 24 (Monday, June 18, 2007)]
[Pages 798-799]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Death of Parliament Member Walid Eido of Lebanon

June 13, 2007

    I strongly condemn today's assassination of Lebanese Member of 
Parliament Walid Eido, who was murdered along with his son, two 
bodyguards, and a number of others.
    There has been a clear pattern of assassinations and attempted 
assassinations in Lebanon since October 2004. Those working for a 
sovereign and democratic Lebanon have always been the ones targeted. The 
victims have always been those who sought an end

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to Syrian President Asad's interference in Lebanon's internal affairs.
    The United States will continue to stand up for Lebanon, its people, 
and its legitimate Government as they face these attacks. The special 
tribunal for Lebanon must be allowed to do its work so that those behind 
the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri and related crimes can 
be brought to justice. The assault on Lebanese state institutions by 
terrorists and armed extremists, cross-border arms trafficking, and 
efforts by the regimes in Damascus and Tehran to foment instability in 
Lebanon must stop now.
    We ask for the international community to support the Lebanese 
Government as it investigates this latest assault on its democracy. The 
perpetrators of these political assassinations must be brought to 
justice, and we all have an obligation to help the Government of Lebanon 
identify, investigate, and prosecute these killers.