Al-Rahi Calls on Ambassadors of U.N. Security Council to Resolve Presidential Deadlock

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi will reportedly demand the ambassadors to Lebanon of the five permanent United Nations Security Council members to press their countries to end the presidential deadlock in Lebanon.

The Security Council's five permanent members are the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France.

According to An Nahar newspaper published on Tuesday, al-Rahi's decision is among several other options, including calling for a meeting for the four prominent Maronite leaders at Bkirki or forming a committee to tour the Christian chiefs to discuss the ongoing standstill.

However, the daily said that al-Rahi dismissed the other options as he believed they will not achieve the required results.

The Maronite patriarch is also set to travel to the French capital Paris to discuss the vacuum at the Baabda Palace with prominent officials.

MPs failed on several occasions to elect a new head of state over lack of quorum. President Michel Suleiman's term ended in May without the election of a successor.

Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc have been boycotting electoral sessions due to a disagreement with the March 14 camp over a compromise presidential candidate.

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