RIYADH – Saudi Arabia condemned Saturday the “terrorist” car bombing that killed a senior security official in Lebanon, and warned of chaos if the culprits were not caught. “The Kingdom condemns this criminal act,” a Saudi official said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. He said the assassination of police intelligence chief Wissam Al-Hassan Friday is “proof that the culprit of this vile terrorist act that targeted Lebanon's security and stability lacks all moral, Islamic and human values.” “Saudi Arabia stresses that it is important to find the culprits, because not dealing with this matter could lead to chaos, the killing of honorable men and jeopardize Lebanon's security,” the statement said. The assassination of Hassan, who blamed Damascus for a series of political assassinations in Lebanon including that of former premier Rafiq Hariri, has shaken the country's fragile political structure. Lebanon's premier, under intense political fire over the deadly car bombing, said after an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday he had agreed to stay in office in the national interest. “I assured the president of the republic (Michel Suleiman) that I was not attached to the post as head of the government,” Najib Mikati told a news conference. “He asked that I stay in place because it is not a personal issue but one of the national interest.” President Suleiman requested that the prime minister stay on to avoid a “political vacuum,” and said he would consult Lebanon's main political forces before taking any decision, Mikati said. “This is why I suspended any decision, until the president communicates his decision to me,” said Mikati. But “I will not work from the Serail,” he said, referring to the office of the prime minister. Mikati linked Hassan's murder to the recent discovery by the security forces of attacks allegedly planned by Michel Samaha, a pro-Damascus former minister, which were aimed at instigating sectarian strife in Lebanon. “I cannot separate the plot uncovered last month and what happened yesterday.”– Agencies
