JAKARTA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono welcomes General Michel Suleiman's election as Lebanon's new president and hopes stability and security in the country will improve significantly, his spokesman said Monday.

    "We welcome the decision of the political leaders in Lebanon to elect the only presidential candidate in the country after failing to come to terms several times," spokesman Dino Patti Djalal was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying.

    Dino said Indonesia had good relations with General Suleiman, as expressed in the sending of 850 Indonesian military personnel to join the United Nations peace-keeping force in Lebanon.

    He said President Yudhoyono was among the first international leaders who welcomed Michel Suleiman's election.