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U.S. congratulates Lebanon on election of new president

Xinhua, November 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

The United States on Monday congratulated the people of Lebanon on the election of President Michel Aoun, in accordance with Lebanon's constitution.

Aoun, an 81-year-old Christian, was elected president on Monday in the Lebanese parliament. The former army chief was later sworn in as the country's 13th president, ending a vacancy that lasted almost two and a half years.

"This is a moment of opportunity, as Lebanon emerges from years of political impasse, to restore government functions and build a more stable and prosperous future for all Lebanese citizens," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

As Lebanon forms a new government, the U.S. looks to all parties to uphold Lebanon's international obligations, including those contained in UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701, which emphasize that there be no authority other than that of the Government in Lebanon, Kirby said.

Lebanon had been without a president since May 2014, when former President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended. Since then, parliament had held 45 failed sessions to elect a successor, each time failing to make a quorum.

The United States will continue to "stand shoulder to shoulder" with the Lebanese people and support Lebanon's independence, sovereignty, security, and stability, Kirby added. Endit