Lebanon should form government “swiftly”- UN Security Council
The UN Security Council has called on Lebanon’s newly elected leaders on January 16th to ‘swiftly’ form a government following the election of Joseph Aoun as president, a role that has been vacant in Lebanon for over 2 years, The National reports.
Lebanon’s new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, has been meeting with political parties to finalise a list of cabinet members. Mr Salam’s primary task would be to assemble a cabinet with the goal of lifting the nation out of a severe economic crisis that has lasted for the past five years.
READ: Nawaf Salam selected as PM for Lebanon
The UN security council called for “renewed unity” among all factions to address Lebanon’s many challenges and has also acknowledged the “continued support of the international community” in creating favourable conditions for Lebanon’s recent election process, The National reports.
In addition, a UN diplomat has expressed that Saudi Arabia’s restored involvement in Lebanese affairs was “necessary”. The diplomat stated that, “the weakening of Hezbollah further facilitated the process,” when referring to the election of Aoun, which was also supported by the Shiite parties Amal and Hezbollah.
Antonio Guterres, The UN Secretary General, is set to visit Lebanon as the deadline for the full implementation of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in southern Lebanon approaches. His visit includes meeting officials and visiting peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
The UN council has praised the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, whilst urging all parties to fulfil the agreements of the ceasefire, which went into place on November 27th.
READ: Analysis: Can the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire hold?
The Lebanese army is set to be posted alongside UN peacekeepers in the south, whilst he Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period, which expires on January 26th.
Under the truce, Hezbollah is to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, about 30km from the border with Israel, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in south Lebanon, The National reports.
The security council has expressed concerns over the breaching of the ceasefire agreement, stating that UN peacekeepers and premises must never be the target of attacks.
The National
