Lahoud underlines elections on schedule

President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon yesterday voiced determination to hold parliamentary elections as soon as possible and to provide all necessary measures to ensure they are going to be fair and democratic.

"It is very important to accelerate in forming a new government to approve an electoral law in addition to cooperate with the international investigation into the former Lebanese Premier Hariri assassination," President Lahoud said during a meeting with Lebanese Minister of Tourism Wadee al-Khazen.

Following the meeting, al-Khazen told reporters that he briefed Lahoud on his phone call with Syrian counterpart Saadullah Agha al-Qalaa on activating items of the tourist protocol signed between Syria and Lebanon, particularly the item related to facilitating foreign tourist groups movement between the two states.