By Xinhua,
Bucharest : The election of army chief Michel Suleiman as the president of Lebanon is an important step toward the implementation of the inter-Lebanese agreement reached in Dohaon May 21, the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) said Wednesday.
“Consistent with its stance so far, MAE encourages the implementation of other recommendations from the January 6, 2008 Arab plan for Lebanon as well,” the ministry said in a press release.
The plan, approved by an Arab foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo, endorsed the choice of Suleiman as the next president of Lebanon and said he should be the arbiter in any contested decisions.
At the same time, the MAE has voiced hope that Suleiman’s election as president will have a positive impact on the overall functioning of Lebanon’s government bodies and boost domestic political dialogue.
On Sunday, Suleiman was elected as Lebanon’s president at a special meeting of the country’s parliament, his election being the first stage in a process aimed at ending the 18-month national political crisis.
The crisis broke out in November 2006, when parliament members from the opposition resigned over their failure to gain enough seats to veto the government’s policies.
Meanwhile, left without a president since November 23, 2007, when Emile Lahoud’s term in office expired, Lebanon had faced its grimmest political situation since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The election of Suleiman, 59, was approved at Doha by both the anti-Syrian, Saudi Arabia and West-backed majority, and the Shiite-led pro-Syrian, pro-Iranian Hezbollah opposition.
The Doha agreement also specifies the establishment of a national unity government in which the opposition will hold 11 of the 30 government offices.