Lebanon's president warned Saturday he will not cede power to theprime minister if parliament fails to elect a successor, a move that could plunge the country into a constitutional vacuum. President Emile Lahoud, who is allied with Syria, insisted on a new «national unity» Cabinet that would choose a successor acceptable to the country's deeply divided political factions, said the president's spokesman, Rafik Shalala, according to AP. But Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who is already facing an opposition campaign to oust him, has vowed to take over if the president's office becomes vacant. -- SPA
