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Lahoud pledges to fight attempts to dislodge him
 Lebanon's staunchly pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud pledged Wednesday to fight attempts by anti-Syrian groups to force his resignation, saying he would stay in office until the last minute of his mandate. Lahoud was reacting to fiery speeches made by the March 14 Forces during a massive demonstration in Beirut to commemorate the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The leaders of Lebanon's anti-Syrian political parties called for Lahoud's resignation and denounced Syrian President Bashar Assad. In response, the president's press office issued a statement accusing Druze leader Walid Jumblatt of launching a "direct threat to kill the president by making a series of allegations aimed at misleading the public."
"By saying in a televised interview that the president ought to be punished by 'having to stand next to the wall and be imprisoned' ... Jumblatt breached all laws and his statement constituted a direct threat against the person of the president," the statement read.
| Emile's scared of getting tossed into the clink and left there... |
"These threats and all other threats launched by others are already being studied by the concerned judicial body," it added.
| They're laughing at him, but they have to be polite... |
The president also reasserted his commitment to complete his "constitutional mandate."
| "Give up my office? Over my dead body!... No. Wait. I meant..." |
"The president is determined to live up to his oath until the very last moment of his constitutional mandate," the statement read. Lahoud's term was controversially extended by three years (until the end of November 2007) through a Syrian orchestrated constitutional amendment adopted in September 2004.
Posted by: Fred 2006-02-16 |
