The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Beirut

Lebanon's new president Michel Sleiman prepared for his first full day in office Monday after hearing his appeal for unity in the violence-hit country endorsed on all sides by the international community.

"Let us unitet and work towards a solid reconciliation," the 59-year-old former army chief said after being sworn in following his election by parliament on Sunday. "We have paid dearly for our national unity. Let us preserve it hand-in-hand."

With his election hailed as the start of a new era , nations on different sides of the political divide seemed united in wishing Sleiman well in his mission. The celebrations came just days after a bitter political feud had threatened to plunge the nation into civil war. On Sunday, celebratory shots were fired into the air and fireworks lit up the sky as crowds of people, cheering and waving Lebanese flags, poured into streets across Lebanon. Welcoming Sleiman's election, US President George W. Bush said he looked forward to "an era of political reconciliation" in Lebanon. Washington has given staunch backing to the Sunni-led government in its 18-month standoff with the mainly Shiite Muslim Hezbollah-led opposition. On the other side of the political divide, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad telephoned Sleiman to congratulate him and had promised that Damascus was "at Lebanon's side," according to a report on Lebananese television.