Beirut  - The head of Lebanon's majority in parliament, Saad Hariri, said Sunday the launch of the Special Tribunal into the assassination of his father Rafik Hariri was achieved by the Lebanese people's will.

Hariri, in a statement made during a visit to Abu Dhabi, said the the Lebanese people "expressed solidarity with the court, refused to be intimidated by threats, helped ending Syrian guardianship of Lebanon and liberated territories from Israeli occupation."

The Hague  - The international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri four years ago was formally constituted in The Hague Sunday.

The court, constituted under a United Nations mandate, is to probe among other things allegations that Syria was behind the killing of Hariri in a massive Beirut bomb blast on 14 February 2005.

Syria has repeatedly denied allegations of involvement in the Hariri attack, in which 22 other people were also killed.

Court registrar Robin Vincent told the opening that the tribunal was in the first place not so much for the United Nations or for the international community as "for Lebanon".

The Hague  - The international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri four years ago was formally constituted in The Hague Sunday.

The court, constituted under a United Nations mandate, is to probe among other things allegations that Syria was behind the killing of Hariri in a massive Beirut bomb blast on 14 February 2005.

Syria has repeatedly denied allegations of involvement in the attack, in which 22 other people were also killed.

Beirut - Four high-ranking Lebanese generals who have been detained since 2005 for suspected involvement in the murder that year of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri submitted a request to the Lebanese investigating judge for their immediate release, a judicial source said Friday.

The source said Judge Sakr Sakr will be looking at the request Friday following deliberations with the public prosecution.

Beirut  - The UN court trying the suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik al-Hariri will be a turning point for Lebanon to end political killings, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with dpa, Seniora said the tribunal "will also ensure impunity will cease in Lebanon."

Beirut - More than four years after the February 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon would begin functioning on March 1, 2009 in The Hague.

Following is a list of political events in Lebanon shortly before Hariri was assassinated and after.