BEIRUT, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande on Saturday warned against any political vacuum in Lebanon following a deadly attack in the capital Beirut a day earlier, the National News Agency reported.
Hollande said in a letter conveyed to his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman by French Ambassador Patrice Paoli that "It's very important that Lebanon doesn't fall in a political vacuum. The cabinet must carry on with its tasks."
Paoli denounced the assassination of Chief of Information Department of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, Wissam al-Hassan, saying "it's a great loss." He urged the authorities to exert efforts to find the culprits.
A deadly car bombing Friday in Beirut that killed eight people, including al-Hassan, and injured over 85 has received condemnation of the United Nations, the Arab League (AL) and many countries around the world.
For his part, British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher also denounced the assassination, calling on the Lebanese to unite.
"We will cooperate with the Lebanese authorities in the upcoming days to encourage unity, stability and sovereignty," Fletcher said after meeting Suleiman.
He told reporters that those who are behind the assassination seek to destabilize the country and divided it and "we shouldn't allow them to achieve their goals."
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