Lebanon's Lahoud says foreign powers want him out

In a letter to the Lebanese French-language daily newspaper L'Orient Le Jour published on Monday, the pro-Syrian Lahoud launched his most scathing attack against the parliamentary coalition led by majority leader Saad al-Hariri.

"The parliamentary majority, with the help of foreign powers allied to Israel, is now dividing the Lebanese people and setting them against each other, with the well-known goal of weakening Lebanon," he wrote.

"These so called nationalists, backed by the same foreigners, have started to take over parliament, using an unfair electoral law which has brought into the chamber of deputies and the government a majority in their pay," he added.

The newspaper said that Lahoud was responding to an article criticizing him, which was published on February 25.

He stopped short of identifying any country by name. But an unnamed presidential palace official has previously singled out France as one force supporting the anti-Syrian coalition to impeach the president.

The extension of Lahoud's term in 2004 at Syria's behest has plunged Lebanon into political turmoil and set Damascus on collision course with the international community. Syria ended its 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April.

The coalition has launched a campaign to gather one million signatures demanding the ouster of Lahoud, under pressure to resign since the February 14, 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

The constitution lists high treason and breaching the constitution as grounds for impeachment. Lahoud says he is guilty of neither and insists he will serve out his term, which expires in 2007.

Hariri's Future parliament bloc responded to Lahoud's letter saying he was misleading the Lebanese public to stay in office.

"The article contains flagrant forgery of political and historical facts, and a clear attempt to provoke sectarianism," it said in a statement.

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