BEIRUT - (Xinhua) - Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit said today (Thursday) that the League is fully prepared to do what is required of it to keep channels of dialogue open between the various Lebanese parties to end the political impasse in the country.

This came in a speech delivered by Aboul Gheit at the opening of the 28th session of the "Arab Economic Forum" in Beirut, and in statements he made after two separate meetings with Speakers of Parliament and the caretaker government, Nabih Berri and Najib Mikati.

He stressed that "Lebanon cannot tolerate a prolonged presidential vacancy, and its economic or social situation cannot bear this vacuum, which shakes confidence instead of strengthening it, and negatively affects the chances of economic recovery."

He said, "We must expedite ending the vacancy by electing a new president of the republic who will be an expression of the Lebanese people, with all their sects and political and party affiliations, and a title for the country's unity and a sign of restoring confidence."

The disagreements of the political forces prevented the election of a new president for the country to succeed former President Michel Aoun, despite the parliament holding 10 sessions for this purpose, between the end of last September and the 15th of this December.

Aboul Gheit appealed to the various Lebanese political leaders to pay attention to the seriousness of the moment the country is going through amid a turbulent international circumstance that imposes on the international community a crowded list of priorities.

He added, "This circumstance requires the parties to overcome divisions and contain them, and requires everyone to place the Lebanese interest above all considerations."

He stressed that "dialogue channels must remain open and direct between all political forces and currents, and the Arab League is fully prepared to do what is required of it in this regard."

He pointed out that "the blockage of dialogue and the ease of entrenching behind positions to pass the time, does not represent an effective strategy to address the existing blockage."

He stressed that "preserving civil peace and security in Lebanon is the duty of every Lebanese in these delicate circumstances."

Aboul Gheit addressed the economic difficulties in Lebanon and their social, humanitarian and security repercussions, and said that they are worrisome, pointing out that the majority of the Lebanese people struggle not to fall into the abyss of poverty, and the unemployment rate touches 30%, while the living difficulties push the best young minds to emigrate.

Aboul Gheit stressed that the reforms required to get Lebanon out of the crisis have become a necessity that cannot be postponed, especially in light of the exacerbation of the food and energy crises, and the conditions the global economy is witnessing that have made the situation more difficult, which constitutes an incentive to accelerate reform.

He called for completing the terms of the initial agreement that Lebanon reached with the International Monetary Fund last spring by approving the necessary laws, in preparation for reaching a final agreement that contributes to achieving economic recovery and opens the way for a greater flow of international aid.

Since 2019, Lebanon has witnessed an economic collapse, which the World Bank ranked among the worst in the world since the middle of the last century, as the country suffers from political, economic, living and health crises.