Hollande urges Lebanon to stick to election calendar

French President Francois Hollande called on Lebanese authorities Saturday to hold presidential elections in May as planned, regardless of the latest violence in Beirut that killed an influential critic of the Syrian regime. President Michel Sleiman's mandate runs out on May 25 and there are fears that a successor will be hard to find because of huge disagreements between Lebanon's pro- and anti-Syria blocs. "This escalation of violence which threatens Lebanon's unity must end," Hollande told influential pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat in an interview to be published Sunday. "France calls for... the respect of the constitutional deadlines, especially the presidential election scheduled for May 2014," he said.