Iraqi FM hopes new president elected in Lebanon soon

Visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari expressed Saturday hope that the obstacles hindering the election of a new president will be overcome, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

"We hope that all obstacles in the way of the presidential elections in Lebanon will be overcome" Jaafari said following meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri, accompanied by Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali al-Ameri.

He described the meeting with Berri as "splendid," adding that "we deliberated on a range of issues, namely recent developments on the Iraqi and Lebanese scenes, far-reaching the Arab and international arenas."

"We shared similar views on the need to spare the region any of the tension hotbeds, which reflect on various countries of the world at large, and the necessity of focusing on solutions to pending problems in the region" said al-Jaafari.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, after former President Michel Suleiman's term ended without the election of a successor due to the ongoing disputes between the March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate.

The Saudi-West-backed March 14 favors the Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, while the Syria-Iran-backed March 8 camp supports the Free Patriotic Movement leader, MP Michel Aoun.

Source: XINHUA