UN Council welcomes Aoun’s election

UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council on Tuesday welcomed the election of Michel Aoun as Lebanon’s new president and said a new unity government and national elections next year would be critical for stability. The council unanimously adopted the statement, a day after the 81-year-old former army chief was elected after four rounds of voting in parliament. “The election is a long-awaited and critical step to overcome Lebanon’s political and institutional crisis,” the council statement said. The election ended a two-year power vacuum at the top at a time when the country is struggling to cope with the impact of the devastating war in neighboring Syria. The council stressed that “the formation of a unity government and the election of a parliament by May 2017, in accordance with the constitution, are critical for Lebanon’s stability and resilience to withstand regional challenges,” the statement read. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday welcomed Aoun and called for a new government to be formed without delay. Lebanon is hosting more than one million Syrian refugees while hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been living in squalid and often lawless camps in the country. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia congratulated Aoun on his election despite the support he received from the Kingdom’s regional foes. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman telephoned Aoun to wish him success, “stressing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s support for Lebanon and its unity”, the official Saudi Press Agency reported late Tuesday. Aoun had received the unstinting support of Iran’s Lebanese ally, Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which Saudi Arabia blacklisted as a “terrorist organization” in March. — Agencies His election followed a surprise U-turn by two key leaders — former prime minister Saad Hariri and Christian Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. — Agencies