BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's influential Maronite Christian bishops urged on Wednesday an end to mounting pressure on pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud to resign after a U.N. probe implicated Damascus in the murder of an ex-prime minister.

"The current dispute over whether the president should remain or vacate his position has got Lebanon into an awkward situation. The presidency should remain above this dispute," the Council of Maronite Bishops said in a statement.

Lahoud has faced increasing pressure to step down since the February killing of Rafik al-Hariri threw Lebanon into its worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

With a U.N. investigation last month implicating Syrian security officials and their Lebanese allies in the murder, Lahoud has faced fresh calls to go.

"This dispute is paralysing political activity in Lebanon and distracting officials from taking an interest in deteriorating daily affairs of citizens and harms the economic situation."

The U.N. inquiry reported that a man suspected of involvement in Hariri's murder had called Lahoud minutes before the truck bomb that killed the ex-prime minister and 22 other people in Beirut.

Lahoud's office has denied he had any contact with the suspect, Mahmoud Abdel-Al, who has since been detained, and the president has vowed to serve until the last minute of his term.

Also detained are four pro-Syrian generals including Republican Guard chief Mustapha Hamdan, a close aide of Lahoud.

The presidency in Lebanon is traditionally reserved for a member of the Maronite community, estimated to comprise around 20 percent of the population, so the support of the bishops is considered vital to a president's political longevity.

In Lebanon's sectarian system, which distributes political offices among myriad religious minorities who fought a 15-year civil war, the Maronite bishops have tended to support an embattled incumbent to avoid undermining the presidency itself.

Lahoud's original six-year term was extended last year through a constitutional amendment allowing him to remain in office until 2007. But many Lebanese deputies say it was only passed under intense Syrian pressure.

Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in April, ending a 29-year presence, amid local protest and international outcry over Hariri's murder and have eased their political grip too.

The bishops said that the "constitution has the last word in such cases", indicating they support Lahoud completing his term. (Reuters)