WASHINGTON - Lebanese President Emile Lahoud disputed on Sunday assertions that Syria was behind recent assassinations in his country, which he blamed on either Islamic fundamentalists or "our permanent enemy" to the south.

Lahoud, a strong Syrian ally, disputed accusations that Damascus was behind the three "abominable" killings.

"It couldn't be Syria nor Lebanon. It must be the enemies of Lebanon," Lahoud said in an interview on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer.

He identified those enemies as either religous fundamentalists, who he said are trying to make Lebanon "unstable," or "our permanent enemy," an apparent reference to Israel.

Two prominent anti-Syrian figures were killed in bombings this month: George Hawi, a former leader of the Lebanese Communist Party, was killed on Tuesday and newspaper columnist Samir Kassir died in a similar attack earlier this month.

Former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and 20 others were killed by a truck bomb on Feb. 14, sparking street protests and international pressure that forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April.

Lebanon's anti-Syrian factions, which won control of parliament this month, have blamed Syria and Lahoud for the assassinations and called on him to step down.

"I can tell you that Syria is the most that is losing because of these assassinations, so why should they do it?" Lahoud said.

U.S. officials have said Washington is certain Syria still has intelligence agents in its tiny neighbor, defying a United Nations resolution demanding that they withdraw.

Lahoud has said he will stay until the end of his term in 2007. His position has been controversial since parliament, under Syrian pressure, voted last year to amend the constitution to extend his term in office.

"For sure I'm not resigning. I'm staying until the end of my term," Lahoud said in Sunday's interview. (Reuters)