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A Lebanese couple looks at pictures of former pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud (C) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad plastered in the morning on a wall in Beirut on May 9, 2008. Hezbollah fighters seized control of rival pro-government strongholds in Beirut today as gunbattles rocked the Lebanese capital for a third day, propelling the nation dangerously close to all-out civil war.
Outgoing Lebanese president Emile Lahoud (C) reviews the honour guard during a farewell ceremony as he leaves the Presidential Palace in Baabda, north of Beirut, early 24 November 2007. Lebanon faced an explosive power vacuum as Lahoud stepped down at the end of his term with no elected successor and a raging feud over who was in charge in the politically divided nation. Lahoud, who is backed by Syria and Iran, walked out of the presidential palace in a simple ceremony at midnight (2200 GMT).
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, center says goodbye to his staff as he leaves the presidential palace in the Beirut suburb of Baabda, Lebanon late Friday, Nov. 23, 2007. Lebanon's political tumult intensified as President Emile Lahoud said the country is in a "state of emergency" and handed security powers to the army before he left office Friday without a successor. The rival, pro-Western Cabinet rejected the declaration.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, center says goodbye to his staff as he leaves the presidential palace in the Beirut suburb of Baabda, Lebanon late Friday, Nov. 23, 2007. Lebanon's political tumult intensified as President Emile Lahoud said the country is in a "state of emergency" and handed security powers to the army before he left office Friday without a successor. The rival, pro-Western Cabinet rejected the declaration.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, right, reviews an honor guard on the way out of the presidential palace in the Beirut suburb of Baabda, Lebanon late Friday, Nov. 23, 2007. Lebanon's political tumult intensified as President Emile Lahoud said the country is in a "state of emergency" and handed security powers to the army before he left office Friday without a successor. The rival, pro-Western Cabinet rejected the declaration.
A picture dated 22 November 2007 and released by Dalati and Nohra photo agency shows outgoing Lebanese president Emile Lahoud (C) with chief of the Lebanese army General Michel Suleiman (2nd L) and other senior army officers at Lebanon's Presidential Palace in Baabda, north of Beirut. Lahoud will step down when his mandate ends at midnight today, but he is studying measures to ensure the country's security before he leaves, his spokesman Rafiq Shalala told AFP. He spoke shortly after parliament postponed until 30 November a session to elect a successor to Lahoud amid continuing deadlock between rival political factions.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, right, shakes hands with Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman, left, at the Presidential palace in the Baabda suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, in this picture taken on Thursday Nov. 22, 2007. Lahoud declared a state of emergency and ordered the army to take control, less than four hours before his terms ended. With Lebanon's presidency vacant and its politics in chaos, the national army stands as the last line of defense against greater turmoil. Suleiman himself has ordered his soldiers to ignore the politics and "listen to the call of duty."
In this photo released by Lebanon's official news agency, the Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, center, poses with the army commander, Gen. Michel Suleiman, second left, and other officers at the presidential palace in the Baabda suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007. President Emile Lahoud said Friday that Lebanon is in a "state of emergency" and ordered the army to take over security powers, hours before he was stepping down without a successor and leaving the divided country in a political vacuum. The government, loyal to the prime minister, rejected the move, hiking up tensions.
Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud (L) chats with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa (R) at presidential palace in Baabda near Beirut November 20, 2007. The Lebanese presidential election will be postponed for two days to Nov.23 to give rival leaders more time to agree on a successor to President Emile Lahoud, a siniore political source told Reuters on Tuesday.
In a handout picture from the Lebanese picture agency Dalati and Nohra, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud (L) meets Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit (R) at Lebanon's Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, 25 October 2007. Abul Gheit arrived in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials in a bid to push toward ending a long-running political crisis over presidency.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud (L) greets Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa prior a meeting in the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, 20 June 2007. Mussa is holding a second day of talks with Lebanese leaders on a tough mission aimed at bridging the chasm that has paralysed political life for the past seven months
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud (L) shakes hands with Christian Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Butros Sfeir (R) during a meeting in Beirut, 29 May 2007. Lahoud proposed today forming a government of six members -- each minister representing one of the six main religious communities -- to solve the political crisis in Lebanon
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud (L) meets with Christian Maronite Patriarch Mar-Nasrallah Butros Sfeir (R) at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, 11 May 2007. The rare meeting between the two men came amid a deep political deadlock as Lahoud's mandate, which was extended for three years in September 2004 under a controversial constitutional amendment passed with the support of Syria, which at the time was the key power-broker in Lebanon, expires in November. The extension of the pro-Damascus Christian president's term has been one of the major causes of a political crisis which has split Beirut into pro- and anti-Syrian camps
A handout picture from Lebanese picture agency Dalati and Nohra shows Lebanese President Emile Lahoud (L) shaking hands with UN Secretary General Ban Ko-moon, 28 March 2007, on the sidelines of the Arab Summit in Riyadh. Lebanon has sent two separate delegations to the summit, underscoring the deep divisions still plaguing the country since the civil war ended 17 years ago
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) speaks with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud (L) before the group photo at the Arab Summit 28 March 2007 in Riyadh. Arab leaders kicked off a two-day summit in Saudi Arabia today aiming to revive a dormant plan for peace with Israel and launch a diplomatic offensive to resolve the Middle East conflict
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) speaks with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud (C) before leaders pose for a group picture at the start of a two-day summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, 28 March 2007. Lebanon has sent two separate delegations to the summit, underscoring the deep divisions still plaguing the country since the civil war ended 17 years ago
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 27: In this handout image supplied by the Palestinian Press Office (PPO), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud meet in Riyadh ahead of tomorrow's Arab summit on March 27, 2007 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Omar Rashidi/PPO via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mahmoud Abbas;Emile Lahoud