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| 12/07/2008 Lebanese Prime Minister Designate Fouad Saniora said Saturday Lebanon's national unity can only be maintained by safeguarding and developing coexistence among the nation's various sects. A statement released by Saniora's Press office said forming the national unity cabinet on the eve of the 2006 war's second anniversary reflects the fact that "we have achieved victory on Israel by crystallizing our national unity."
It said "national unity was the shield that protected Lebanon against the Israeli aggression" two years ago.
The international community on Friday hailed the formation of Lebanon's national unity government tasked with resolving the country's worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed the announcement on the formation of the cabinet, his press office said in a statement. "He believes that this important event reflects Lebanon's continuing emergence from the political crisis and the revitalization of its constitutional institutions," it added.
Ban called on the Lebanese "to continue working for the full implementation of the Doha Accord."
In Washington, the State Department praised the creation of the new government as a critical step in restoring democracy to Lebanon but only after hours of its formation, stressing that, as in the past, it would not have contact with cabinet members who belong to Hezbollah.
"We welcome the formation of this new cabinet," spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
Canada hoped the cabinet will spell an end to the country's long political crisis, but like the U.S. it said it would have "no contact" with Hezbollah. "Canada congratulates Prime Minister Fouad Saniora on forming a new Lebanese cabinet, and offers our full support to him and his government," Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson said in a statement.
He called the new administration "another important step ... toward ending the political crisis" in Lebanon. However, Emerson said Canada would abstain from any contact with the Hezbollah.
"While Canada will have full contact with Prime Minister Saniora and non-Hezbollah ministers, we will maintain our principled policy of having no contact with Hezbollah officials," he added.
The European Union's French presidency welcomed the formation of the new Lebanese government. "The formation of a unity government marks an important step in the implementation of the Doha agreement" between the Lebanese parties in May, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said.
Iran also welcomed the new government. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said he hoped it would lead to a "strengthening of national unity among the Lebanese," Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
Qatar also congratulated Lebanon saying it hoped the new government would "contribute to the strengthening of Lebanon's national unity" and called on the international community to cooperate with the new government.
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