33 Facts About Rafik Hariri

Rafik Hariri was widely credited for his role in constructing the Taif Agreement that ended the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.

Rafik Hariri played a huge role in reconstructing the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Rafik Hariri was the first post-civil war prime minister and the most influential and wealthiest Lebanese politician until his assassination.

Rafik Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005 by a suicide truck bomb in Beirut.

At one point, Rafik Hariri was one of the world's 100 wealthiest men and the fourth-richest politician.

Rafik Hariri was born on 1 November 1944 to a modest Sunni Muslim family in the Lebanese port city of Sidon.

Rafik Hariri attended elementary and secondary school in Sidon, and graduated in business administration from Beirut Arab University.

In 1969, Rafik Hariri established Ciconest, a small subcontracting firm, which soon went out of business.

Rafik Hariri then went in business with the French construction firm Oger for the construction of a hotel in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia, the timely construction of which earned praise from King Khaled.

Rafik Hariri took over Oger, forming Saudi Oger, which became the main construction firm used by the Saudi Royal family for all their important developments.

In 1982, Rafik Hariri donated $12 million to Lebanese victims of the 1978 South Lebanon conflict and helped clean up Beirut's streets with his company's money and contributed to early reconstruction efforts during lulls in the Lebanon war.

Rafik Hariri laid the groundwork that led to the 1989 Taif Accord, which Saudi Arabia organised to bring the warring factions together.

Rafik Hariri returned to Lebanon in the early 1980s as a wealthy man and began to build a name for himself by making large donations and contributions to various groups in Lebanon.

Rafik Hariri was implanted as the Saudis' strong man following the collapse of the PLO and the paucity of any viable Sunni leadership in the country as well as a response to the rising power of the Shiite militia Amal.

In 1992, Rafik Hariri became the first post-civil war prime minister of Lebanon under president Elias Hrawi.

Rafik Hariri put the country back on the financial map through the issuing of Eurobonds and won plaudits from the World Bank for his plan to borrow reconstruction money as the country's debt grew to become the largest per capita in the world.

In October 2000, Rafik Hariri was again appointed prime minister, replacing Salim Hoss, and formed the cabinet.

Specifically, Rafik Hariri supported foreign firms and individuals taking an interest in Lebanon's developmental potential.

Rafik Hariri simplified tax codes and provided tax breaks to foreign investors.

Rafik Hariri pursued aggressive macroeconomic policy such as maintaining strict regulations on bank reserves and inter-bank interest rates to curb inflation and raise the value of the Lebanese pound relative to the dollar.

Rafik Hariri responded that Hezbollah were the ones protecting Lebanon against the Israeli occupation and called for implementation of passed United Nations resolutions against Israel.

Rafik Hariri further went on to say that Syria would have to stay in Lebanon for protection of Lebanon until they are no longer needed and Lebanon asks them to leave.

Rafic Rafik Hariri was succeeded by his son Saad Rafik Hariri as leader of the Future Party.

Rafik Hariri was accused of corruption that plagued Lebanon during the Syrian occupation.

That Rafik Hariri and his business associates profited immensely from this project was an open secret.

In return for a relatively free hand in economic matters, Rafik Hariri cooperated with Syria's drive to consolidate its control over Lebanon.

On 25 September 1996 Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's government issued a decree ordering the closure of Lebanon's 150 privately owned radio stations and 50 TV stations.

The radio stations which were to be given licenses were Rafik Hariri's Orient Radio, Berri's NBN, and the Lebanese Forces's Voice of Free Lebanon.

Rafik Hariri married his second spouse, Nazik Audi, in 1976 and she is the mother of three of Hariri's children: Ayman, Fahd and Hind.

On 14 February 2005, Rafik Hariri was killed when explosives equivalent to around 1,800 kilograms of TNT concealed inside a parked Mitsubishi van were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St George Hotel in Beirut.

Rafik Hariri was buried along with his bodyguards, who died in the bombing, in a location near Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.

Rafik Hariri was well regarded among international leaders, for example, he was a close friend of French President Jacques Chirac.

Sayyed was one of the persons who decided to assassinate Rafik Hariri according to a leaked draft version of the Mehlis report along with other Syrian high-rank intelligence and security officers and officials, namely Assef Shawkat, Maher Assad, Hassan Khalil and Bahjat Suleyman.