Charles Boustany: “I rise today in order to extend my deepest sympathy for the untimely death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Mr.…”

“I rise today in order to extend my deepest sympathy for the untimely death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Mr. Hariri's death is a tremendous loss not only to Lebanon, but to the global community as well. His efforts to restore peace and prosperity to his homeland after emerging from brutal civil war have earned him the great esteem of both myself and many of my House colleagues. Mr. Hariri began his career as a civil servant at a time when his country was in desperate need of rehabilitation. In 1990 Lebanon had just emerged from a 15-year civil war an exhausted nation with an uncertain future. As Prime Minister, Mr. Hariri worked tirelessly to restore the nation's economic and political health. By establishing stable loan programs with various foreign powers, Mr. Hariri secured much needed reconstruction funds with which he rebuilt Lebanon's infrastructure. He oversaw the higher education of tens of thousands of Lebanese students and put forth a sizeable proportion of his own fortune toward social, education, and transportation projects. Mr. Hariri worked for a unified Lebanon, free from the social divisions of war and restored to its former state of health and stability.”