Ban Holds Phone Conversation with Suleiman, Hopes for 'Dialogue' to Move 'Forward'
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon hoped on Tuesday that Lebanon's rival parties would “engage responsibly” with President Michel Suleiman to resolve the country's problems.
During a telephone conversation he held with Suleiman, Ban expressed his strong support for the Lebanese president's “leadership in preserving the security and stability of the country, and stressed the importance of Lebanon's disassociation policy.”
A statement issued from the U.N. also said Ban “hoped that all parties in Lebanon would engage responsibly with him (Suleiman) and work together through dialogue to find a way forward in the national interest.”
The phone conversation came against the backdrop of the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati last Friday over differences between cabinet members on the authority that would oversee the elections and the extension of the tenure of Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi.
The U.N. chief “expressed his solidarity with Lebanon in its efforts to assist the growing influx of refugees fleeing the violence from Syria,” said the statement.
It added that Ban advised Suleiman “to urge the international community to do more to help Lebanon to deal with this serious humanitarian situation.”
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