Ennahda senior member Abdelkarim Harouni denied that his movement had ever thought about assassinating Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, stressing their ultimate respect to him. The committee for the Defence of opposition lawyers Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, who were assassinated in 2013, accused Ennahda party of planning to assassinate Essebsi in 2013 with former French President Francois Hollande. "We respect the President of the Republic by virtue of the status granted to him by the Constitution, and in turn respect all the laws that came in the Constitution," Harouni was quoted as saying by the Tunisian official news agency. Harouni described the accusations against Ennahda as "false and malicious", saying that they aim to disband the party. He confirmed that Ennahda is not a party to any political conflict, and it supports the stability of the government, which it doesnt seek to topple. On the other hand, official sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Head of the Ennahda party, Rached Ghannouchi, telephoned Essebsi last week and congratulated him on his 92nd birthday. He also sent him a bouquet of roses on the occasion.