UN chief welcomes formation of new Lebanese government

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday welcomed the formation of a national unity government in Lebanon led by Saad Hariri, calling on the new government to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution1701.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban expressed his satisfaction that Lebanese political leaders have been able to reach agreement on the formation of a cabinet five months after the parliamentary elections of June 7.

Ban hoped that Lebanese political leaders will continue to work together "in a spirit of unity, dialogue and cooperation," the statement said.

He also urged the new government to quickly "take up the challenges that remain to consolidating both the sovereignty of Lebanon and the institutional capacity of the Lebanese state, as called for in the Taif Agreement and Security Council resolutions."

Lebanon's five-month-long cabinet formation process came to an end on Monday, after Saad Hariri presented the opposition-endorsed cabinet lineup proposal to Suleiman.

UN Resolution 1701 ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, and reinforced the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon(UNIFIL) to conduct peacekeeping missions in south Lebanon.

Source: Xinhua