Tehran  - Iran termed the election of Michel Suleiman as Lebanon's new president as a big victory for the Lebanese nation, ISNA news agency reported Monday.

ISNA quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying that following Suleiman's election a new chapter has been opened in the history of Lebanon.

Suleiman took the oath of office as the 12th president on Sunday, filling a post left vacant for six months and ending a political crisis that threatened a new civil war. (dpa)