The "Report of the Fact-Finding Mission to Lebanon inquiring into the causes, circumstances and consequences of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, 25 February - 24 March 2005",[1] better known as the FitzGerald Report, is the outcome of an inquiry, ordered by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and conducted by Irish deputy police commissioner Peter FitzGerald, into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005.
The report emphasizes that it is impossible to identify the culprit until the perpetrators have been brought to justice, but blames the Syrian government, which it charges with exerting "influence that goes beyond the reasonable exercise of cooperative or neighborly relations", with primary responsibility for the political tension that preceded the assassination, by its "(interference) with the details of governance in Lebanon in a heavy-handed and inflexible manner".
It also charges the Lebanese government with "a failure ... to provide adequate protection for its citizens", thereby contributing to "the propagation of a culture of intimidation and impunity", and accuses the Lebanese security forces with "serious and systematic negligence in carrying out the duties usually performed by a professional national security apparatus".
In addition, Lebanese investigators are accused of fabricating, falsifying, manipulating, and destroying evidence.
The report goes on to judge as "more than doubtful" the ability of an international commission to carry out a satisfactory investigation while the Lebanese security forces remain under their present leadership, and calls for extensive reforms in the security services, with the assistance of the international community.