A Lebanese court on Tuesday sentenced to 20 years in prison the pilot of Beirut-bound UTA Flight 141, which crashed off the West African coast in 2003 killing at least 136 people, a judicial source said.

Libyan pilot Najib al-Barouni, who remains at large, was found guilty of neglect, the source told Agence France Presse.

Interior Minister Ziad Baroud condemned on Tuesday politicians’ protection of officers who have had shortcomings in performing their duties in traffic control.

He said during a press conference that he will reveal the name of any officer who does not perform his duty, adding that the tense political situation in Lebanon does not exempt any one from his obligations in tackling traffic issues.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to arrive in London on Monday as part of a two-day visit to the UK where he will meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Foreign Secretary William Hague, and Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

The talks are set to focus on regional and international developments, bilateral relations, and ways to develop them.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has described Premier Saad Hariri as the right person for the period Lebanon is currently going through, stressing that Hariri is capable of overcoming the problems under the present circumstances.

Assad also believed that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is a Lebanese affair, adding that Damascus has no idea when the indictment in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri would be issued.

MP Sami Gemayel noted on Tuesday that Syria aims to establish good ties with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on condition that he abandon his March 14 allies and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

He told LBC during his ongoing trip to the United States that Washington assured him that it supports the international tribunal and Lebanon’s sovereignty, denying allegations that the U.S. position towards these matters had changed.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat described on Monday his recent visit to Damascus as "successful and excellent", saying it was an occasion to follow up on the effects of the summer's Saudi-Syrian-Lebanese summit, as well as the recent Saudi-Syrian summit in Riyadh.

He highlighted in his weekly commentary in the PSP-affiliated Anbaa magazine the importance of Lebanese-Syrian ties that "were baptized in blood and highlighted in the Taif agreement that emphasized that Syria's security is Lebanon's security, and Lebanon's security is Syria's security."

Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon Hilary Childs-Adams stressed on Monday the importance of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as it would help achieve justice and freedom for Lebanon.

She made her statements after holding talks with Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail.

A prominent media official in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon revealed that the indictment will include names of the accused and the charges against them, reported the daily al-Liwa Monday.

It added that evidence found against the accused will only be revealed in court and not in the indictment.

Mustaqbal bloc MP Ahmed Fatfat noted that Lebanon is currently passing through a period of calm, which he attributed to the Saudi-Syrian understanding and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon.

He told al-Liwa Monday that the calm is also due to the March 8 forces' conviction that it would be difficult to achieve more political gains by pressuring Prime Minister Saad Hariri over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The third day of the International Media Forum organized by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague has dropped the "conspiracy theory" which has long characterized Lebanon, sending those harmed by the Court to launch political and media campaigns targeting STL credibility and raising skepticism on the Court objectives.

Media representatives have noticed through the round table held at the headquarters of the Foundation of International Information in The Hague, Netherlands, that attacks against the STL -- accusations and skepticism on its establishment and its goals – are only a replica of the campaign against the Former Yugoslavia Tribunal.