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June 27, 2005

Lebanonwire

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Lebanon's Lahoud says won't quit

WASHINGTON - Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, who most of his parliament wants to resign, said Sunday he will remain in his post despite accusations he covered up assassinations.

"I'm not resigning," he told CNN's "Late Edition."

"I'm staying until the end of my term. And I can tell you, I was elected by the Lebanese parliament," he said.

On Thursday, Lebanon's new parliamentary majority called for Lahoud to resign, accusing him of covering up for a series of political assassinations targeting anti-Syrian figures.

"There is a fact-finding mission by the UN" examining Syria's thoroughness in withdrawing from Lebanon, he said. "They will be reporting in two weeks."

"All I know myself is that all the Syrians have withdrawn, with their intelligence, and now there is nobody of the Syrians" remaining in Lebanon.

Anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians, who make up the majority in parliament after elections which ended last Sunday, called on the United Nations to investigate the assassinations that have taken place in Lebanon since Lahoud's mandate was extended in September at Syria's insistence.

The new guard was formed after the elections ushered in the first legislature not controlled by pro-Damascus factions since the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

On Tuesday, Communist leader Georges Hawi was killed by a car bomb.

Anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir was killed when his car exploded on June 2, and former prime minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated in a February attack on the Beirut seafront.

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