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Beirut: Two days before Lebanon's parliament meets to pick the army chief as head of state, a US envoy said on Saturday the country should hold the vote which has been delayed repeatedly by pro- and anti-Syrian factions.
Doubts still remain over whether tomorrow's session will take place for a vote that has been delayed eight times already.
"It is time for this process to be completed. There is no reason for any further delay," US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Welch told reporters after meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an opposition leader.
"We believe that the parliament should meet, the members of parliament need to fulfil their duty to go and vote," he said.
Difficult job
Deputies from the Hezbollah-led opposition have torpedoed previous attempts to secure a two-thirds quorum in parliament for a presidential vote.
They are determined to stop the Western-backed ruling coalition from electing one of its own candidates.
Two weeks ago, both sides agreed in principle to elect the army commander, General Michel Sulaiman, to replace pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose term expired on November 23.
"We understand that Lebanon has done the most difficult work of finding a candidate who represents a consensus. It's not our job, the United States, to find a president of Lebanon, it's Lebanon's job," Welch said.
Differences on how to amend the constitution to permit a top public servant like Sulaiman to run for office are unresolved.
Welch earlier met Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and was also due to meet Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Arab and Western nations have pressed the Western-backed coalition and the opposition to settle their disputes and avoid a protracted vacuum that could further destabilise Lebanon.
Tensions worsened after the assassination on Wednesday of Brigadier General Francois Al Haj, who was tipped to become the next army chief after Sulaiman becomes president.
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