Report: Ban May Visit Saudi Arabia, Iran to Reach Breakthrough in Presidential Impasse

Speaker Nabih Berri had voiced concerns to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that Lebanese officials may no longer be able to reach an “internal solution” to the deadlock over the presidential elections, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Monday.

He encouraged Ban to seek dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran, “because an agreement between them may raise hope that an agreement may be reached over a president for Lebanon.”

The U.N. chief had responded to the request by saying that he will try to visit Riyadh and Tehran.

He credited the speaker with the “positive role he is playing” on the internal Lebanese seen, noting that he is “the only official capable of bringing together all rival parties to dialogue.”

Berri has been sponsoring rounds of national dialogue since September 2015.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.

Disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a candidate have thwarted the polls.

Hizbullah, which is backed by Iran, announced that it would boycott the elections until it receives guarantees that its candidate, Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun, will be elected head of state.

Various March 14 officials and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat have accused foreign powers, most notably, Iran of hindering the polls.

Ban paid a visit to Lebanon on Thursday and Friday where he met with Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, and the international peacekeeping force in the South. He also toured Palestinian and Syrian refugee encampments.

M.T.

G.K.