By NNN-KUNA
Beirut : A parliamentary vote to elect Lebanon’s president has been postponed for a 14th time as distrust between the anti-Syrian ruling party and Hezbollah-led opposition is growing after a 15-month political crisis and three months with no president.
Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, said the vote, which was supposed to be held on Feb 18, was now scheduled for February 26th.
Lebanon has been locked in a presidential vacuum since former President Emile Lahoud’s term of office elapsed on November 23rd due to splits and divisions between both ruling majority and opposition camps.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa has just left Beirut, wrapping up a two-day visit to Lebanon to mediate a solution to the crisis. Asked how he could reassure the Lebanese people while leaving Beirut with the problem remaining unsettled, Moussa said, “I’m leaving, but I still have some hope for a solution.” However, he voiced hope that the sensitive Lebanese issue could be tackled with more wisdom, urging Lebanese parties concerned not to use the street in voicing their views.
Moussa has been to Lebanon three times this year to promote a plan calling for the election of the Lebanese army chief, General Michel Suleiman, as president, followed by the formation of a national unity government.
Rival Lebanese factions have agreed in principle to elect Gen Suleiman, but have repeatedly disagreed over constitutional details and the make-up of the cabinet. Moussa made it certain that Lebanese Army Chief Michel Suleiman had been the consensus candidate for presidency.
The Arab initiative, which aims to resolve the Lebanese issue, provides for electing a new president, setting up a national unity government and adopting a fresh presidential law.
The deadlocked presidential election is Lebanon’s worst political crisis since the country’s long civil war ended in 1990.