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Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora (L) with Javier Solana, EU's foreign policy chief.
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BRUSSELS (EJP)---European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Friday urged Lebanon's rival factions to restore the country's constitutional institutions and elect a widely-backed president.
Solana welcomed a deal brokered by Arab League mediators as "the most balanced and fairest proposal on the table."
Under the deal, the leaders of the rival Lebanese factions agreed last week to hold talks in Doha, Qatar, with the aim of electing a new president and forming a national unity government.
Solana said in a statement: I urge all the political forces of Lebanon to engage in this process of national dialogue and I wish them every success in achieving the best outcome for the people of Lebanon.
"The priority must be to restore Lebanon's constitutional institutions as quickly as possible and to elect a president who enjoys the full confidence of all the Lebanese people," he added.
He said the legitimate Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora “has the European Union's full support.”
Recent infighting between the pro-Western government and Hezbollah-led opposition has killed more than 80 people.
Lebanon has been without a president since Emile Lahoud stepped down in November 2007.
