Lebanese government wins confidence

The government of Rafik al-Hariri on Monday won the confidence of the Lebanese parliament.

The speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri announced on Monday that after five days of discussing the ministerial statement, the government of al-Hariri which includes 30 ministers has won the support of 95 parliament members out of 118 who attended the session. Berri added that 17 parliament members abstained from voting while 6 members vote non- confidence for the government.

In conclusion of the discussions dedicated to the statement, the Lebanese prime minister al-Hariri hailed President Bashar al-Assad for his national stances concerning the question of the Arab- Israeli conflict.

He added in a speech before the Lebanese parliament on Monday evening that Syria, under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad works for the good of Lebanon." He stressed Lebanon's urgent need for the presence of the Syrian troops on its territories adding " relations between us and Syria are for the interests of the two countries."