Annan Urges Syria, Iran to Aid Lebanese Stability

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked Syria and Iran to help promote the stability of Lebanon after the resignation of six of its government ministers.

Annan spoke by telephone with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian head of state Bashar al-Assad about developments in Lebanon and the need for governments in the region and around the world “to promote the stability and the unity of Lebanon,” UN chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Annan, who was traveling in St. Gallen, Switzerland, urged the two presidents to counsel Lebanon’s leaders “to exercise patience and resolve their differences through dialogue,” Dujarric said.

Five ministers from Shiite groups Hezbollah and Amal quit the Lebanese Cabinet a week ago when talks over giving the opposition a greater say in government collapsed. A sixth minister, loyal to President Emile Lahoud, resigned on Monday.

The resignations have thrown the government of anti-Syrian Prime Minister Fouad Siniora into crisis, raising questions about its legitimacy under Lebanon’s Constitution.