UAE leaders congratulate Joseph Aoun on election as Lebanon president

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent a congratulatory cable to President Joseph Aoun on the occasion of his presidential election victory and on taking constitutional oath as the President of the Republic of Lebanon.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, sent similar congratulatory messages to President Joseph Aoun.

Earlier during the day, Lebanese lawmakers elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president, ending a more than two-year vacancy in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis.

Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday, arrived in parliament to take the oath of office to general applause, wearing a dark suit and blue tie instead of his usual military uniform.

"Today, a new phase in Lebanon's history begins," he told the chamber. Aoun faces the daunting tasks of overseeing a ceasefire in south Lebanon and naming a prime minister capable of implementing the reforms demanded by international creditors in return for a desperately needed financial bailout.

He said he would call for parliamentary consultations as soon as possible on naming a new prime minister.

WAM / AFP