The speaker of Lebanon's parliament has postponed a vote on a new president for the 10th time, as lawmakers remain deadlocked over the shape of a future government.
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri issued a statement (Friday) saying the session that was scheduled for Saturday has been postponed a week. The delay will give feuding political leaders more time to reach a consensus.
Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition criticized President Bush for urging the country's Western-backed governing coalition to elect a new president unilaterally. Hezbollah said Mr. Bush's statements during a news conference Thursday have complicated efforts to forge a consensus deal between the governing coalition and the pro-Syrian opposition. Addressing White House reporters Thursday, President Bush said Lebanon's ruling coalition should vote using its simple majority of parliament members if the deadlock over the presidency continues.