UN’s Ban urges Lebanese leaders to hold presidential elections on...

4^min

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the Lebanese leaders to hold the presidential elections on their legal and constitutional time and asked them to prepare for the parliamentary elections as per the constitution.

He also urged them to abide by the dissociation policy and the Baabda Declaration and to avoid any involvement in the Syrian crisis, stressing the need to unite in the face of terrorism.

“Despite of dangerous incidents and provocations that took place while preparing the report in the last three months, a relative stability was maintained in Southern Lebanon and along the Blue Line,” UN chief said in his latest report on the UN resolution 1701.

Ban also praised the cooperation of the Lebanese army and Israeli forces with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

He also denounced the rocket attack that targeted Lebanon on the 29th of January, pointing out that these attacks are considered as a significant violation to UN resolution 1701. He also mentioned that these attacks pose a threat on stability in the region.

Separately, Ban said the Syrian war is still taking a toll on Lebanon, condemning the gunfire, airspace violations and shelling from the Syrian side on Lebanese border towns.

In this regard, he lashed out at the participation of Lebanese citizens in the Syrian war and their non-adherence to the dissociation policy which was approved by the government, and to the principles of the Baabda Declaration which was issued in June 2012 with the consent of all Lebanese leaders.

UN's Ban also called on all Lebanese factions to refrain from interfering in the Syrian crisis, and urged them to work for the benefit of Lebanon and adhere to the self-distancing policy.

Ban pointed out that the Security Council denounced the terrorist attacks that targeted Lebanon lately, and mentioned that terrorist groups behind these acts are threatening the entire Lebanese nation.

"All Lebanese factions should unite to confront this threat," Ban said.

On another note, Ban said the fact that Hezbollah, along with other groups, are still holding on to their weapons is considered a threat to Lebanon's sovereignty and to the security of all Lebanese nations, adding that this matter does not comply with UN resolutions 1559, and 1701.

In this regard, Ban urged all parties to get back to national dialogue, stressing that dialogue may be the solution for the dossier of Hezbollah's weapons and other pending dossiers such as adherence to the Baabda Declaration.

The UN chief also lauded the leading role played by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, emphasizing that the Maronite Patriarchate expressed its support to the Baabda Declaration in the Bkerke National Charter which was issued on the 9th of February.