Vatican Exerting Efforts to End Presidential Impasse

The Vatican resumed efforts to end the presidential deadlock in Lebanon as the papal ambassador Gabriele Caccia carried out contacts with diplomats to tackle the issue.

According to An Nahar newspaper published on Tuesday, Caccia contacted several ambassadors of major powers to tackle the presidential impasse.

The daily said that the papal ambassador in Lebanon will soon meet with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in this regard.

He had also held talks with Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Fathali.

The Vatican reportedly considers the presidential elections in Lebanon as a battle of existence that surpasses the Maronites and focuses on the active Christians role in state posts in the country and the Middle East.

Lebanon has been plunged in vacuum in the presidency since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May.

Over the past two months the parliament convened eight times to try to elect a successor to Suleiman but failed during the last seven sessions due to a lack of quorum caused by a boycott by most of the March 8 forces.

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