U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday congratulated Lebanon on its peaceful parliamentary elections and urged all Lebanese people to cooperate “in the spirit of coexistence and democracy.” In a statement issued by his office, Ban “calls on all Lebanese to respect the results” of the elections, and he voiced hope that “the process of government formation will commence expeditiously and that it will take place in a calm and secure environment.” Both Sunday's voting and the formation of a new government “represent further important steps along the path of the revitalization of the state's political institutions,” the statement said. The secretary-general also noted that he looks forward to the “full consolidation” of Lebanon's stability, unity, and political independence in line with the Taif Accord—the 1989 agreement that followed the country's long civil war—and Security Council resolutions.
