Hariri, Geagea Discuss Electoral Law as March 14 Prepares for Feb. 14 Anniversary

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea held a telephone conversation on Friday amid preparations to hold a ceremony marking the eighth anniversary of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

It said that the two officials discussed the latest developments on efforts to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law.

On the commemoration of Hariri's assassination, An Nahar said that the ceremony “will seek to demonstrate the harmony of the March 14 camp in preparation for the parliamentary elections,” which are set for June.

An informed source told the daily that the ceremony will attempt to give the “Cedar Revolution a push forward and reinforce the principles which it was created for eight years ago.”

The figures set to make speeches at the ceremony, scheduled to take place at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center (BIEL) on Thursday, have not yet been disclosed.

Hariri, who is currently abroad over security fears, is expected to make a televised speech at the event.

His speech will likely focus on the Mustaqbal Movement's agenda for the upcoming phase in Lebanon and the rejection of the possession of illegitimate arms in Lebanon, said An Nahar.

Former PM Rafik Hariri was killed in a massive car bomb in Beirut on February 14, 2005.

His death was widely blamed in Lebanon on Syria and it sparked a popular movement to demand that it end its hegemony over the country, resulting in it withdrawing its troops from the country amid local and international pressure.