Caccia: Presidential Stalemate to End in September

Gabriele Caccia, the papal ambassador to Lebanon, informed the rival political parties that the country will witness the election of a new head of state in September.

According to al-Liwaa newspaper published on Wednesday, Caccia, who will accompany Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to the Vatican, said that the new president will not be from the names circulated in the media outlets.

Al-Rahi will travel to the Vatican on Thursday to meet with Pope Francis and other senior officials.

Talks are expected to focus on the presidential deadlock and the exodus of Christians and minorities in Iraq and Syria.

An Nahar newspaper reported that the Vatican is mulling to dispatch a high-ranking official to Lebanon to tackle the ongoing presidency impasse.

However, the matter hasn't been settled yet, awaiting contacts with regional and international countries that are concerned with the polls.

Lebanon's top Christian post was left vacant in May this year when the rival MPs failed to elect a successor to President Michel Suleiman over their differences on a compromise candidate.

Media reports had said that the Vatican considers the presidential elections in Lebanon as a battle of existence that surpasses the Maronites and focuses on the active Christian role in state posts in the country and the Middle East.

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