By DPA,
New York : The UN Security Council Thursday declared its strong support for the agreement reached this week by Lebanese parties to end 18 months of political impasse.
The council said in a statement read in an open meeting by British Ambassador John Sawers, the council president, that the agreement reached Wednesday in Doha “constitutes an essential step towards the resolution of the current crisis, the return to the normal functioning of Lebanese democratic institutions and the complete restoration of Lebanon’s unity, stability and independence.”
It welcomed “the ban on the use of weapons and violence as a means to settle disputes, irrespective of their nature and under any circumstances.”
The agreement by the Lebanese parties was intended to break the impasse on the election of the president of Lebanon, a post that has been left vacant since November when then President Emile Lahout stepped down as his term had already expired.
The statement called on the Lebanese parties to implement the agreement worked out with the help of the League of Arab States in accordance with previous agreements and UN resolutions.
It reaffirmed Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Wednesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised the agreement and voiced the hope that the agreement will be “the prelude to a lasting period of national reconciliation, political stability, peace and progress for all of Lebanon’s people and for the future of their country.”
He said the UN looks forward to the early election of a new Lebanese president and the formation of a National Unity Government.
He thanked the “crucial efforts” of Qatar and the League of Arab States for helping the Lebanese reach the settlement.