Saad al-Hariri: President Lahoud lacks legitimacy; fear for his life

Lebanese parliamentarian Saad al-Hariri, the leader of the largest parliamentary bloc at the Lebanese parliament, criticized the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud and described him as loosing legitimacy and interfering in all issues.

Hariri said in an interview with the London-based al-Hayat daily "everyone knows that the extension for Lahoud was made under pressure and terror by the Syrian authority."

He added that "Lahoud is the president and the government has to deal with him, but this does not mean we are pleased and satisfied." He justified that the Lebanese parliamentary bloc is not insistent to change the President in that is not proper for this may create a "constitutional vacuum."

Hariri said that he had left the country after finding out about a plan to assassinate him. He indicated that the security situation in Lebanon does not permit him to return back to Lebanon at the meantime, and that international sides asked him to stay abroad for security reasons, refusing to predict what will UN-Mehlis report result be regarding his father's assassination, and confined to saying that he is confident in Mehlis's professionalismm and that Mehlis will not permit politicization of his report.

Saad al-Hariri has been living abroad since two months after the series of explosions and assassinations which followed the assassination of his father on February 14.