DEARBORN - State Representative Gino Polidori (D-Dearborn) paid tribute Tuesday night to Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated in a bombing in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Monday.
"Prime Minister Hariri had put forth extraordinary devotion, dedication, and compassion during his many years of service on behalf of the people of Lebanon," Rep. Polidori said in a tribute delivered during a memorial service to Hariri.The Lebanese government blamed a suicide bomber for the explosion that killed Hariri, 60, and at least 16 other people.
"The senseless act of violence that ended Prime Minister Hariri's life is not only a crime against its 17 victims, it is a crime against, and a disservice to, the people of Lebanon," Rep. Polidori said.
Hariri was a billionaire and five-time prime minister who was widely credited with guiding Lebanon's reconstruction following the country's 1975-1990 civil war. During his tenure as prime minister for 10 of the 14 years after the end of the war, he became the symbol of Lebanon's rebirth, boosting investment and attracting tourists back to the country. A widely admired moderate politician and a skillful builder of coalitions, Hariri resigned as prime minister in October 2004.
"There can be little doubt that the record of Rafiq Hariri in his work for his countrymen will continue to reap rewards for the people of Lebanon," Rep. Polidori said.
"We offer our thanks and admiration to Prime Minister Hariri, our condemnation of such malicious violence, and our profound sympathies to his family, the families of the other 16 victims, the people of Lebanon, and all of those who share in our grief for the loss of such an exceptional man."
Rep. Polidori was one of four sponsors of the tribute, delivered at Greenfield Manor in Dearborn. Others sponsoring the tribute were: Rep. Andy Dillon (D-Redford), Rep. Morris W. Hood III (D-Detroit) and State Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman (D-Detroit).
Dearborn is home to about 40,000 people of Lebanese descent and they make up around 25 percent of the city's population.