U.N. Officials Fret Over a Leadership Void in Lebanon

UNITED NATIONS — Pro-Syrian politicians in Lebanon yesterday declared the political and constitutional crises in their country are “over,” but U.N. officials were concerned about “continuing delays” in filling a leadership void in Beirut, including in a possible new split over the composition of the next government.The Shiite speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah, said yesterday that all sides have come together and now have agreed that the next president will be the Lebanese army commander, General Michel Suleiman. At the same time, however, Secretary-General Ban admonished the parties, calling on them to end their disagreements and quickly elect a new president.General Suleiman has reportedly been banned from entering France since 2004, when he allegedly purchased stolen French passports for members of his family from an underground group that was selling them for high prices in Lebanon.France, however, has led efforts to solve the constitutional problems that have plagued Lebanon. Eager to settle the crisis quickly, for fear it would erupt into a full-fledged civil war, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was in Beirut yesterday, where he attempted to convince all sides to get Mr. Suleiman elected in a parliamentary vote expected tomorrow. Similar parliamentary votes have been postponed several times since Emile Lahoud left the presidential palace November 23.Mr. Ban “is extremely concerned about the continuing delay in the election of a new president in Lebanon, which has extended well past the constitutional timeframe,” according to a statement issued here yesterday. “He believes it is now time for this matter to be resolved without further delay.”But at the same time, Mr. Berri declared in an interview with Beirut’s Al Nahar newspaper that “The story is over.” Mr. Suleiman, he said, “has become president of the republic.”According to an aide to Mr. Ban, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the secretary-general issued his statement after speaking in the last few days with the top players in Lebanon’s politics, including the Sunni leader of the largest opposition party, Saad Hariri, Prime Minister Siniora, and Mr. Berri.According to several U.N. diplomats, while the governing coalition headed by Mr. Hariri has already agreed to the election of Mr. Suleiman despite his ties to Damascus, no agreement has been reached yet over the composition of the government, which needs to be set up after the new president is sworn in.The Lebanese constitution designates the country’s top leadership positions to members of the largest sects, with presidency allotted to a Maronite Christian, the premiership to a Sunni Muslim, and the top parliamentary position to a Shiite. Once a president is elected by members of Parliament, he is called on to consult with a Sunni leader of the largest party, who would be charged with picking members of a government.After several anti-Syrian parliamentarians have been gunned down, shrinking the majority coalition, Mr. Berri has for months prevented assembling a parliamentary vote.As part of their attempt to extend the powers of pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian forces in Lebanon, Shiites and their Christian allies are now trying to increase their representation in the government by giving the new president a larger role in naming government members than he has had in the past.

U.N. Officials Fret Over a Leadership Void in Lebanon

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