UN chief urges Lebanon to quickly form government
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the election of a president in Lebanon, calling for an immediate formation of a new government in the country which had been without a head of state for 29 months.
Ban on Monday extended his congratulations on the election of Michel Aoun as Lebanon’s president.
He "hopes that Lebanese parties will now continue to work in a spirit of unity and in the national interest," Ban’s spokesman said in a statement.
The UN chief "encourages the formation without delay of a government that can effectively serve the needs of all Lebanese citizens and address the serious challenges facing the country," the statement added.
On Monday, the Lebanese lawmakers elected retired general Aoun as the country’s president when they convened for their 46th attempt to choose a head of state.
Aoun secured the presidency by winning the support of 83 MPs, well above the absolute majority of 65 needed to win.
Lebanon had been without a head of state since 2014, when the term of President Michel Suleiman expired.
Under Lebanon’s power-sharing system, the president must be a Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker a Shia Muslim.
According to some Lebanese political sources, Saad Hariri is expected to be given the post of prime minister for the second time.
The election of 81-year-old Aoun put an end to more than two years of political vacuum in Lebanon.
Hezbollah says launched ‘deepest attack’ on Israel since start of Gaza war
Hezbollah hails Iran's Op. True Promise as turning point in anti-Israel struggle
Hezbollah unleashes missile strike on Israeli forces in fresh pro-Palestinian op.
VIDEO | UK govt. Rwanda bill denounced as 'state-sponsored people trafficking'
VIDEO | Iran president visits Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural hub
North Korea: US military drills drive regional security into turmoil
UN agency chief for Palestinians urges probe into staff killings
200 days of Israeli war on Gaza and 200 headlines whitewashing genocide
VIDEO | 200 days of US-Israeli genocide
Iran’s security chief in Russia to underline Israel’s aggression
VIDEO | Smoke rises from Gaza as fighting continues
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
