Lebanon's U.N. Ambassador Stresses Consensus on Lebanon Stability

Lebanon's permanent representative to the U.N. Nawaf Salam has said that there is consensus among the world's major policy-makers to support Lebanon's stability.

“The importance of the meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon (later this month) lies in having international consensus on the support of Lebanon and its political and security stability,” Salam told As Safir newspaper in remarks published Friday.

There is also consensus “to regulate the work of constitutional institutions through the election of a president,” he said.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since the end of President Michel Suleiman's tenure in May last year over a sharp dispute between the March 8 and 14 coalitions on his successor.

The meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon is scheduled to be held on September 30 on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

It will be attended by Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, the foreign ministers of five major powers, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and other personalities.

The group was inaugurated in New York in September 2013, on the sidelines of the 68th session of the General Assembly.

It was formed to tackle efforts by the international community to share the burden of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon.

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