UN Security Council hails formation of new Lebanese government

The UN Security Council on Saturday welcomed the formation of a new government in Lebanon, saying the 15 council members "looked forward to the constructive engagement of this government with the international community." "The members of the Security Council welcomed the formation of a new government in Lebanon in order to respond effectively to the many political, security, humanitarian and development challenges facing Lebanon," said a statement issued to the press here by the Security Council. "They looked forward to the constructive engagement of this government with the international community in particular the International Support Group to mobilize support for Lebanon," the statement said. Earlier Saturday, a new government led by new prime minister Salam was formed in Lebanon, after a 10-month deadlock. The new government announcement was the result of a compromise reached by the pro-Syrian March 8 camp and the opposition March 14 camp, and witnessed a complete shuffle in the portfolios. Salam, born in 1945, is a centrist politician whose father was a long time prime minister, and he is considered close to former prime minister Saad Hariri. "The members of the Security Council stressed that effective implementation of SCR (Security Council Resolution) 1701 and other relevant Security Council resolutions remains crucial to ensuring stability in Lebanon," the statement said. Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hizbollah, calls for respect for the Blue Line, the disarming of all militias in Lebanon, and an end to arms smuggling in the area. The council members "underlined the need for the government to uphold Lebanon's long standing democratic tradition in particular in ensuring that presidential elections will take place within the constitutional framework," the statement said. Meanwhile, the members of the Security Council appealed to all Lebanese people to preserve national unity in the face of attempts to undermine the country's stability and stressed the importance for all Lebanese parties to respect Lebanon's policy of disassociation and to refrain from any involvement in the Syrian crisis, consistent with their commitment in the Baabda Declaration, " the statement said. The Baabda Declaration is an agreement signed by Lebanon's rival politicians in 2012 to disassociate Lebanon from regional turmoil, particularly the crisis in Syria. Earlier Saturday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the formation of a new government in Lebanon and called for a successful presidential elections in the Middle East country. "The Secretary-General warmly welcomes today's announcement of the formation of a new government in Lebanon, and congratulates Prime Minister Tamam Salam on this important step," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman. "The secretary-general encourages Lebanon's political leaders to build on the constructive engagement which led to the formation of the new government to ensure that the country's forthcoming presidential election is successfully conducted within the timeframe set by law," the statement said.