Hariri's son avoids making accusations

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The son of slain ex-Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has refrained from making accusations before the outcome of an international probe into his killing.

"We will not anticipate and throw accusations here and there, but we will wait for the results of the international investigation," Bahaa Hariri said in an interview Friday with Saudi daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, which is monitored in Beirut.

Bahaa, who, it is believed, will succeed his father in political work, said, "We demanded that an international team takes part in the investigation, because we have not heard so far any logical explanation of the incident."

Hariri, a self-made billionaire, was killed Feb. 14 in a bombing in Beirut. The Lebanese opposition pointed an accusing finger at Syria and the Syrian-backed regime of President Emile Lahoud.

"At first they said it was a car bomb, then they alleged it was a suicide attack and another time they blamed it on a group of Lebanese living in Australia," Bahaa said in allusion to the Lebanese state's investigation.

"I believe that these are attempts to confuse and downplay the case," he said. "How could we trust such an investigation?"