Beirut – Lebanon’s 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 tenure.
Lahoud was reacting to calls for his resignation during a massive demonstration Tuesday in Beirut on the first anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Some 800,000 Lebanese turned out, waving flags and shouting anti-Syria slogans. The groups blame President Bashar Assad’s government for Hariri’s death, and a U.N. probe has implicated top Syrian security officials. Syria has denied any role.
Walid Jumblatt, a key Druse politician, said Lahoud’s ouster was the only way to restore stability and freedom in Lebanon. Hariri’s son, Saad Hariri, who heads the anti-Syrian majority in parliament, also renewed his call for Lahoud to step down.
Lahoud said the anti-Syrian groups are trying to heal their internal divisions.
“To do so, these forces resorted to their past slogans by calling on the president to step down. They did so while knowing well that their calls are neither constitutional nor legal,” said a statement from Lahoud’s office.
