New government for Lebanon a ‘very important step’: UN chief

The appointment of a new government in Lebanon is a “very important step” for the crisis-hit country, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Friday, wishing Prime Minister Najib Mikati “the best success.”

Guterres added of the new government that “of course it is not enough, there are many other things to be solved, but this was the basic condition for anything else to be possible.”

“I wish that he is able to bring together the different Lebanese communities and the different Lebanese political forces in order to make sure that Lebanon is able to overcome the dramatic situation it faces now,” Guterres told a press conference.

Lebanon ended a 13-month wait for a new government with the unveiling of a lineup that faces the daunting task of rescuing the country from economic meltdown.

Billionaire Mikati, Lebanon’s prime minister for the third time, made an emotional statement from the presidency vowing to leave no stone unturned in efforts to save the country from bankruptcy.

The newcomers include many technocrats but each minister was endorsed by one or several of the factions that have dominated Lebanese politics since the 1975-1990 civil war.