SHOTLIST

1. Wide of area were bomb blast happened

2. Mid of men looking at the remains of a car

3. Cordon next to remains of a vehicle

4. People inspecting damage

5. Dented parked cars along the road

6. Mangled vehicles

7. Pan of damage

8.Damaged building

9. People looking at damage

10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Elie Roukoz, Beirut Resident:

" As you see the whole buildings are damaged, we felt that the ground is shaking up and down."

11. Cars along street in Beirut

12. Various of man reading paper

13. Pan of papers on the news stand

14. Mid of front page reading (ENGLISH) " MP Antoine Ghamen assassinated"

15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samer Mrad, Beirut Resident

" We want to see and to know the hands behind such acts and who has the interest. This is only affecting the poor and miserable people."

16. Lebanese security forces convoy along street

17. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Saad Hariri, Lebanese lawmaker heading the main anti-Syrian alliance in Parliament:

"The presidency does not belong to Saad Hariri, or to Hassan Nasrallah, or to Nabih Berri, or to Michel Aoun, or to any other party. The presidency belongs to the people of Lebanon."

18. Cutaway

19. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Saad Hariri, Lebanese lawmaker heading the main anti-Syrian alliance in Parliament:

"The International Tribunal, which will try those cowardly criminal killers, will also try those who sabotage the presidential elections."

20. Various of locked up shops

STORYLINE

Lebanese leaders pledged on Thursday to press ahead with a divisive election for president, to be held in Parliament in coming days, despite the car bombing assassination of an anti-Syrian lawmaker.

Wednesday's bomb killed Antoine Ghanem, an anti-Syria lawmaker, and six others in a Christian neighbourhood of Beirut and threatened to derail efforts to bring the country's rival parties together to agree on a head of state ahead of time, before voting is set to begin next week.

Investigators were at the sight examining the remains of the blast.

At least 67 were wounded in the explosion, which severely damaged buildings and set cars ablaze during rush hour on a busy street in the Sin el-Fil neighbourhood.

Ghanem, 64, a member of the right-wing Christian Phalange party, had returned from refuge abroad only two days earlier. He was the eighth anti-Syria figure and fourth governing coalition lawmaker to be assassinated in less than three years.

On Thursday Lebanese newspapers were focused entirely on the assassination.

Samer Mrad a Beirut resident said he wants to know who is behind the attack.

" We want to see and to know that hands behind such acts and who has the interest. This is only affecting the poor and miserable people," he said.

Coalition members blamed Syria for the death, but Damascus denied involvement, as it has for the previous seven assassinations, including the 2005 bombing death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora asked the United Nations secretary-general in a letter to add the Ghanem assassination to an international probe into Hariri's slaying and other political crimes in Lebanon.

On Wednesday Hariri's son, who now heads the main anti-Syrian alliance in the Lebanese parliament, called the perpetrators of the attack "cowardly criminal killers".

"The presidency does not belong to Saad Hariri, or to Hassan Nasrallah, or to Nabih Berri, or to Michel Aoun, or to any other party. The presidency belongs to the people of Lebanon," Saad Hariri said.

Many people fear the divisions over the presidency could lead to creation of two rival governments, a grim threat to repeat the last two years of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war when army units loyal to competing administrations battled it out.

President Emile Lahoud, an ally of Syria, is due to step down from the presidency by November 23 and government supporters see the vote as the opportunity to put one of their own in the post.

But Hezbollah and its allies have vowed to block any candidate they do not approve and they can do so by boycotting the ballots, preventing the needed two-thirds quorum of 85 votes.

If no candidate is agreed on by the time Lahoud steps down, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and his cabinet would automatically take on executive powers.

If that happens, opposition supporters have said Lahoud might appoint a second government, a step many fear would break up the country.

Schools, universities and many businesses in Christian areas of Beirut, plus in the Mount Lebanon region north of the capital, closed on Thursday in a day of mourning and to observe a strike called by the Phalange Party.

A funeral was to be held Friday.

SHOTLIST

1. Tilt-up of rubble to people setting up security cordon

2. Pan from wreckage of one car to wreckage of another car

3. Soldiers shouting orders

4. Paramedic running to help, pan to vehicle being hosed

5. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Saad Hariri, Lebanese lawmaker heading the main anti-Syrian alliance in Parliament:

"The presidency does not belong to Saad Hariri, or to Hassan Nasrallah, or to Nabih Berri, or to Michel Aoun, or to any other party. The presidency belongs to the people of Lebanon."

6. Cutaway

7. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Saad Hariri, Lebanese lawmaker heading the main anti-Syrian alliance in Parliament:

"The International Tribunal, which will try those cowardly criminal killers, will also try those who sabotage the presidential elections."

8. Wide view from above blast site

STORYLINE

A powerful bomb killed an anti-Syria lawmaker and six others in a Christian neighbourhood of Beirut on Wednesday, threatening to derail an effort by an already deeply divided parliament to elect Lebanon's next president in voting to begin next week.

Antoine Ghanem, a 64-year-old member of the Christian Phalange party who had returned from refuge abroad only two days earlier, was the eighth

anti-Syria figure and fourth lawmaker from the governing coalition to be assassinated in less than three years.

Coalition members blamed Syria, but Damascus denied involvement, as it has for the previous seven assassinations, including the 2005 bombing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a killing that ignited huge protests that forced Syria to withdraw its troops after a three-decade occupation.

Hariri's son, who now heads the main anti-Syrian alliance in the Lebanese parliament, called the perpetrators of Wednesday's attack "cowardly criminal killers".

"The presidency does not belong to Saad Hariri, or to Hassan Nasrallah, or to Nabih Berri, or to Michel Aoun, or to any other party. The presidency belongs to the people of Lebanon," Saad Hariri said.

Many people fear the divisions over the presidency could lead to creation of two rival governments, a grim threat to repeat the last two years of

Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war when army units loyal to competing administrations battled it out.

President Emile Lahoud, an ally of Syria, is due to step down from the presidency by November 23 and government supporters see the vote as the opportunity to put one of their own in the post.

But Hezbollah and its allies have vowed to block any candidate they do not approve and they can do so by boycotting the ballots, preventing the needed two-thirds quorum of 85 votes.

If no candidate is agreed on by the time Lahoud steps down, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and his cabinet would automatically take on executive powers.

If that happens, opposition supporters have said Lahoud might appoint a second government, a step many fear would break up the country.

SHOTLIST

1. Exterior of Ein El-Tineh Palace

2. Wide of meeting between Nabih Berri, Lebanese Parliament Speaker; David Welch, assistant U.S. secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs; and U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman

3. Mid of Berri

4. Mid of Welch

5. Wide of meeting

6. Exterior of Lebanese prime minister's office

7. Wide of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora meeting Welch and Feltman

8. Mid of meeting with Saniora

9. Mid of Welch

10. Mid of Saniora

11. Wide of meeting

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) David Welch, assistant U.S. secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs:

"The future of Lebanon is not something that is negotiable against other interests the U.S. may have in in the area, this won't happen."

13. Cutaway to close up of hands

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) David Welch, assistant U.S. secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs:

"Perhaps some outside of Lebanon are concerned about the tribunal because they may be worried that one day they may be held accountable and responsible. Of course, that is normal in any process of justice."

15. Cutaway flag

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) David Welch, assistant U.S. secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs:

"We do not understand what is the purpose of the Hezbollah party having weapons. Precisely what is it they intend to use these weapons for? A conclusion that many have is that they want to be able to intimidate their way into politics. That is the wrong basis for political dialogue and result."

17. U.S. seal on wall

18. Welch heading to meet General Michele Aoun

19. Welch shaking hands with Aoun

20. Various of meeting with Aoun

STORYLINE:

A senior U.S. official pledged on Wednesday that the United States will not use Lebanon as a bargaining tool - an attempt to allay fears that Washington's recent talks with Syria and Iran could weaken American resolve here.

David Welch, assistant U.S. secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, also said he expects the U.N. Security Council will establish an international tribunal in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

He dismissed fears that creating the court, which is at the core of the political crisis here, without Lebanon's parliamentary approval could lead to violence despite Hezbollah's rejection of such a course.

Welch stressed that the U.S. will not abandon Lebanon.

Welch met on Wednesday with senior Lebanese figures, including the parliament speaker Nabih Berri, and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

There have been concerns that recent American contacts with Syria and Iran over Iraq could result in a softening of U.S. support for the Lebanese government, which is facing an incessant campaign by the opposition led by Hezbollah, a Syria and Iran ally, to topple it.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Welch said the United States would not bargain over Lebanon.

"The future of Lebanon is not something that is negotiable against other interests the U.S. may have in the area, this won't happen," said Welsh, in an interview at the heavily fortified U.S.

Embassy compound in Beirut.

Welch's two-day visit to Lebanon comes amid a political impasse over the Hariri tribunal.

Commenting on the tribunal, Welch said: "Perhaps some outside of Lebanon are concerned about the tribunal because they may be worried that one day they may be held accountable and responsible. Of course, that is normal in any process of justice."

In addition to meeting the prime minister, Welch met with others including some opposition leaders - except Hezbollah.

He did not meet with President Emile Lahoud, a staunch Syria ally.

Welch did meet General Michele Aoun, a Christian leader and the main ally for Hezbollah, and the two discussed presidential elections and the political situation in Lebanon.

Hezbollah's 11 lawmakers slammed the visit, accusing Welch of "flagrant interference ... and provocative, subversive positions" that would complicate the crisis.

Speaking to AP Television, Welch questioned why Hezbollah wanted to possess weapons.

"Precisely what is it they intend to use these weapons for? A conclusion that many have is that they want to be able to intimidate their way into politics. That is the wrong basis for political dialogue and result," he said.

Hezbollah has said the real goal of American policy in Lebanon is to disarm the Shiite Muslim militant group, whose guerrillas fought Israeli forces in last year's summer war and lobbed thousands of rockets into northern Israel.

A U.N. resolution also calls for disarming militias, and Welch said disarming Hezbollah was a matter for the Lebanese to solve.