WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The United States and France, in a joint statement Friday, condemned the death of Antoine Ghanem, who was killed in an explosion in Lebanon.
Besides condemning the "brutal murder" of the member of the Lebanese Parliament, the two countries "reaffirm that it is crucial that the presidential elections in Lebanon be held according to the Lebanese constitutional schedules and norms," according to the statement released by the U.S. State Department.
"What is at stake today is the will of the murderers to disrupt the constitutional life of Lebanon," which deprives the Lebanese of their political right, the statement said.
The United Nations Security Council issued a statement Thursday concerning the situation in Lebanon, that denounced Ghanem's death and the deaths of seven others in the car bombing. The council called for elections "without any foreign interference, fully respecting the sovereignty of Lebanon."
