Eurasia Press & News
The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged Lebanon’s parliament to quickly choose a new president to bolster stability as war rages across the border in Syria.
Lebanon has been without a president, who is also the commander-in-chief, since May because of disagreements between lawmakers.
The 15-member council “expressed concern at the prolonged vacancy in the office of the presidency with a view to preserving the stability and the unity of Lebanon,” said Australian Ambassador Gary Quinlan, whose country chairs the council.
The top UN body requested that parliament move “without delay” to a vote and said Lebanon’s politicians must show the “flexibility and sense of urgency” needed to agree on a successor to Michel Sleiman.
The Australian ambassador emphasised that Lebanon was facing a growing Islamist threat from Syria while struggling to cope with a massive refugee influx. Some 30 per cent of Lebanon’s population are refugees, said Quinlan.
Lawmakers last week voted overwhelmingly to extend their mandate, skipping scheduled elections for the second consecutive time. They say Lebanon’s security situation is too fragile to allow elections during neighboring Syria’s civil war.
Rights groups worry that lawmakers are eroding the right to vote in a country with a tradition of free elections.
