Ban urges reconciliation in Lebanon

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Lebanon's prime minister and parliament speaker to reconcile and try to elect a new president, warning that failure could lead to two governments and two presidents.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's U.S.-backed government has been locked in a fierce power struggle for months with the pro-Syrian, pro-Iranian opposition, led by the military group Hezbollah and backed by opposition-aligned Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

It is the most serious political crisis since the end of the country's 1975-90 civil war.

Berri has set Sept. 25 for parliament to meet to start voting on a new head of state to replace Emile Lahoud, whose term ends Nov. 24, but the dispute could throw the country into chaos and even result in two parallel, competing administrations.

"I am concerned, very deeply concerned, about the lack of progress in the political situation, particularly concerning the election of a new president," Ban said.

The two sides are at odds over whether the president is elected by two-thirds of the parliament or a simple majority in the 128-seat house.

If no agreement is reached, the opposition has threatened to boycott the vote, which would deny parliament a two-thirds quorum and deadlock the process. The majority controls 69 seats and has, in turn, threatened to simply go ahead and choose a president from its own ranks.

This in turn fueled fears the opposition could do the same _ resulting in each side electing its own president and possibly leading to two rival governments.

Ban expressed hope that a new president can be elected according to the constitution.

"I have spoken to both speaker Berri and prime minister Saniora recently, and I have urged them to reconcile and try to select a new president in accordance with their own constitutional procedures," he said.

Ban said he is concerned that "the inability of electing a new president" could lead to two governments and two presidents.

"That will be very much unacceptable, a very worrisome situation for the peace and security of not only Lebanon, but also peace and security in the region," he said.

The Sept. 25 session would be the first time parliament has met since October 2006. Berri refused to convene parliament after his opposition allies resigned from the government.

Along with the political dispute, electing a president also has a sensitive sectarian element.

Under a power-sharing arrangement, the president is a Maronite Catholic _ the only non-Muslim leader of an Arab country _ the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker a Shiite Muslim. The Cabinet and parliament are split equally between Christians and Muslims, while the army is led by a Christian and the police is headed by a Muslim.