Lebanon's anti-Syrian coalition, which swept parliamentary elections this month, called on President Emile Lahoud to resign, saying it held him responsible for a series of political assassinations. "The gathering affirms ... that the president is providing protection for the existing political security system and is responsible for its acts," it said in a statement issued after meeting to discuss the killing of an anti-Syrian politician this week. It continued: "The president's departure would be a main path to law and justice".The coalition called for a general strike on Friday in protest over the killing of George Hawi, a former head of the Lebanese Communist Party and critic of Syria, and urged Lebanese to turn out in force for his funeral, also on Friday. Mr Hawi, killed when a bomb exploded in his car on Tuesday, was the second anti-Syrian figure to be assassinated this month. Newspaper columnist Samir Kassir was killed on June 2 in a similar attack. The killings followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on February 14 and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April.