Maronite Bishops urged on Wednesday Lebanese politicians to cooperate with President Michel Sleiman’s call for dialogue, saying the cabinet issue should be resolved within the constitutional framework.

Maronite Bishops urged on Wednesday Lebanese politicians to cooperate with President Michel Sleiman's call for dialogue, saying the cabinet issue should be resolved within the constitutional framework, Naharnet website reported.

Following their monthly meeting under Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi and with the partial attendance of papal envoy Cardinal Robert Sarah, the bishops urged “all politicians to abide by the Baabda Declaration and mainly the article that calls for steering Lebanon clear of conflicts.”

“The crisis in the country over mainly the cabinet issue cannot be solved outside the national constitutional principles,” the council of Maronite bishops said in its statement.

The Lebanese should “hold onto national unity and legitimate institutions,” it said, urging them not to jump into an unknown that would let the country face a mysterious fate.”

The March 14 opposition has called for the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati's cabinet and the formation of a new government following the Oct. 19 assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hasan.

The coalition has also refused to sit at the national dialogue table despite insistence by President Michel Sleiman to resolve the deepened rift at the all-party talks at Baabda palace.

The council also called for holding the 2013 parliamentary elections through a new law that guarantees the best representation of all factions.