The United Nations welcomed the formation of a new government in Lebanon on Saturday, which ended more than two years under a caretaker cabinet.
"Today's government formation heralds a new and brighter chapter for Lebanon," the office of the United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said in a statement.
Lebanon formed a new government on Saturday, following unusually direct US intervention in the process and in a step intended to bring the country closer to accessing reconstruction funds following a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace, new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the 24-member cabinet would prioritize financial reforms, reconstruction and the implementation of a United Nations resolution seen as a cornerstone to stability on the Lebanese border with Israel.
Salam said he hoped the politically diverse cabinet would "work in harmony".
"This government will seek to restore confidence between citizens and the state, between Lebanon and its Arab surroundings, and between Lebanon and the international community," he said.
Lebanon has been hit hard over the last half-decade by a financial collapse that impoverished large parts of the population, a cataclysmic explosion at the Beirut port and a more than year-long war between Israel and Hezbollah that destroyed swathes of the country.
Forming a cabinet was seen as an essential step to undertaking reforms that could open the door to a financing plan under the International Monetary Fund and accessing support from key Gulf countries to help rebuild destroyed areas.
