EU says Lebanon needs president quickly

 
The European Union called Lebanon”s institutional crisis unacceptable and said on Tuesday it should elect a president as soon as possible.

 

The Slovenian EU Presidency said it was “sincerely worried” by the escalation of tensions in Lebanon.

 

“The situation is deteriorating,” Matjaz Sinkovec, secretary of state at Slovenia”s foreign ministry, said after talks between the EU and Lebanon”s acting Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri.

 

“The continuing institutional crisis in Lebanon is simply not acceptable,” he told a news conference. “The parties need to return to dialogue in a spirit of compromise. It is crucial that the president is elected without delay.”

 

Lebanon has been without a president since November due to a political tussle between the Sunni Muslim-led government and an opposition movement led by Shi”ite group Hezbollah, backed by Iran and Syria.

 

The stalemate has led to street clashes between Shi”ites and Sunnis in the past week.

 

Lebanon”s 15-year civil war ended in 1990 but a Saudi-brokered peace pact has been strained to breaking point since the assassination in 2005 of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.