Berri, a leader of Lebanon’s opposition which is supported by Syria and Iran, said the election was “the business of the Lebanese people.”

On Thursday the 15-member council in a statement “called for the holding of a free and fair presidential election in conformity with the Lebanese constitutional norms and schedules and without any foreign interference.”

Two days earlier, parliament in Beirut had adjourned until October 23 a crucial session to elect a new president for lack of a quorum, amid deadlock between the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and the pro-Syrian opposition.

The Security Council statement said it “took note of the decision to convene the next session of the Lebanese parliament on 23 October and looked forward for the parliament to proceed as appropriate to the election of the president.”

Ali Hamade, in charge of foreign affairs in Berri’s Amal party, told AFP: “The statement responds to attempts by certain parties who are trying to internationalise the Lebanese question and submit it to the UN.”

He added: “The Council would have done better to stress the efforts being made towards a solution instead of opting for the tone of a sermon.”

Pro-Daamascus President Emile Lahoud is due to step down in November, and the deadlock over his successor has raised fears that it could lead to two rival governments, a grim reminder of the final years of the 1975-1990 civil war when two competing administrations battled it out.

The four-week delay in electing a new president was seen by both the government and opposition as a last chance to prevent an escalation of the political crisis in Beirut.  -AFP