Russian leader Vladimir Putin has told his close friend Sa'ad Al Hariri not to blame Syria for the assassination of Francois Hajj.

Hajj was an anti-Hariri figure, who lead the summer attacks on the Hariri-funded Fateh Al Islam.

Senior figures in Hariri's March 14 movement have already started to blame Fateh Al Islam - even leading anti-Syrian MP Boutrous Harb says it wasn't Syria. Even Junblatt is keeping his mouth shut.

But Hariri insists it was Syria. Now he's been knocked into line by Putin.