From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 31, 2016
Ban urges speedy formation of new Lebanon government
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the long-awaited election of a president in Lebanon and says a new government must now be formed without delay.
Ban congratulates Michel Aoun, the Hezbollah-backed former general whose election ends a two-year political vacuum in the country bordering Syria.
The UN chief “hopes that Lebanese parties will now continue to work in a spirit of unity and in the national interest,” says a statement from his spokesman.
He “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 United Nations has repeatedly called on Lebanon’s political leaders to elect a president and bolster institutional stability at a time when the war in Syria was rattling the region.
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.