French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has urged the swift election of a new Lebanese president after a second vote in parliament to pick a successor to incumbent Michel Aoun failed. Lebanon “today cannot risk a power vacuum,” Colonna said at the end of a short visit to the country, urging its leaders to live up to their responsibilities. Electing the next president is up to the Lebanese alone, she stressed, saying that the international community was looking forward to seeing the election process completed. The Lebanese people, Colonna said, must choose a president who can lead them and work with regional and international parties to overcome the current crisis and ensure stability and security for Lebanon. Colonna met with Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The minister’s visit came after Aoun officially approved the US proposal regarding maritime border demarcation with Israel. Aoun also announced the start of the repatriation process for Syrian refugees amid fears of a presidential vacuum after his term ends on Oct. 31. Parliament is yet to elect a new president or approve the reforms demanded by the international community as a condition to help Lebanon out of its current economic collapse. Colonna said that the historic agreement concluded between Lebanon and Israel on the demarcation of maritime borders should not overshadow reforms, which remain a priority. After Lebanon’s approval, she said French gas company TotalEnergies would start verifying the quality of the existing oil in Lebanese waters and make sure the entire process continues smoothly. Colonna warned that the agreement Lebanon signed in April with the International Monetary Fund must be implemented. “This is the only option to send a message of confidence to investors and bring in the financing that Lebanon needs.” She stressed: “It is unacceptable that the Lebanese people continue to bear the consequences of a crisis for which they are not responsible. We will support and help the Lebanese as long as they help themselves.” Colonna reiterated: “Implementing the necessary reforms and respecting constitutional deadlines will serve as a positive message to countries that are in turn suffering from well-known crises, so they can initiate aid. “Herein lies the importance of Parliament’s role in approving the necessary reform laws.” The messages that Colonna relayed, which she said were from President Emmanuel Macron, also included the stalled investigations into the Beirut port explosion. “It has been over two years and the Lebanese are still waiting for justice, far from any political influence.” Colonna said the Lebanese people “are able to unite when they want to, and after the election of a new president, there will be a fully functioning government.” President Macron is urging all friendly countries to help Lebanon, said the minister. She revealed that the EU was able to raise funds to help Syrian refugees, as their displacement was a human tragedy that impacted Lebanon, and that the key to the issue was related to the improvement of the situation in Syria. During talks, President Aoun asked Colonna for France’s assistance in the process of helping the over 2 million Syrian refugees currently living in Lebanon to return to their country. “They are living in harsh conditions also due to Lebanon’s inability to secure their necessary needs, in addition to the cholera cases that have recently appeared in some refugee camps, not to mention the economic, living, and security issues caused by this huge number of displaced people,” Aoun said. Aoun stressed Lebanon’s categorical rejection of settling refugees in Lebanon because of the negative consequences it would carry for both the Syrian and Lebanese peoples. In a statement issued on Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the US-mediated agreement on the demarcation of the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel. Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric de la Riviere said the secretary-general “believes that this encouraging development can promote increased stability in the region, and enhance prosperity for the Lebanese and Israeli peoples.” Guterres stressed the UN’s continued commitment to assisting both parties and supporting the effective implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and other relevant resolutions, which, he noted, remained essential to the stability of the region. On Thursday night, President Aoun announced Lebanon’s agreement to adopt the final formula drawn up by the US mediator to demarcate the southern maritime borders. Addressing the Lebanese, he said: “This achievement would not have been attained without the unity and solidity of the Lebanese position in resisting all pressures, not making any substantial concessions, and not engaging in any kind of normalization.” Aoun added: “The next step should be to hold fraternal talks with Syria to resolve the maritime disputed area, which is over 900 sq. km,…(and) review the drawn borders with Cyprus and decide what to do in the future.”