Lieutenant-Colonel Gokul Bhandaree, a military spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), on Tuesday clarified the circumstances of a clash that took place Monday evening between UNIFIL peacekeepers and Lebanese villagers near the southern town of Srifa.

"Yesterday … at around 8:30 pm a UNIFIL convoy coming from Beirut with newly arrived troops lost its way in the vicinity of the town of Srifa. The convoy was stopped by a group of local people and a stand-off ensued. Some of the people from the group threw stones at the UNIFIL peacekeepers,” the spokesman said.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati is in contact with all parties in an attempt to find a solution that is “acceptable to all those concerned” regarding the clause in the government Policy Statement which deals with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a source close to Miqati told Agence France Presse on Tuesday.

“PM Miqati’s stance is based on commitment to international legitimacy and he can’t make any step that might expose” Lebanon to the risks of defying international legitimacy, the source added.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea slammed the new government on Tuesday, describing it as one of blatant hegemony.

He asked during a ceremony adopting the LF by-laws: “How can we explain the formation of such a government during the period in which the region is witnessing radical change?”

MP Michel Murr on Tuesday announced that he will grant his vote of confidence in parliament to Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s newly-formed government.

Following talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh, Murr said: “There are three reasons that make me want to grant my confidence: the first is that I always consult with Speaker Berri, and … I cannot withhold my confidence from a government Speaker Berri is partner in, given that I have a very solid relation with him.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Tuesday that the committee drafting a government policy statement will likely complete its work this week.

He revealed after the Change and Reform’s weekly meeting: “It will be finalized this week and the clause on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will be the final issue of discussion.”

Premier Najib Miqati reiterated on Tuesday Lebanon’s “unanimous” decision to reject the naturalization of Palestinians but vowed to provide them with the “necessary attention” to resolve their plight.

During talks with the Palestinian president’s envoy, Azzam al-Ahmed, Miqati said: “The Lebanese government will work to give the humanitarian and social issues of Palestinians in the refugee camps the necessary attention in cooperation with involved international agencies.”

The Mustaqbal bloc criticized on Tuesday the dangerous proposals suggested by some members of the new government regarding Lebanon’s commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, warning against violating an issue of Lebanese national consensus.

It said in a statement: “The officials should be wary of backing down from the consensus, especially regarding the STL, because it will harm ties between the various Lebanese factions.”

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon delivered on Tuesday 48 sets of computers, 23 computer servers and accessories to the Lebanese army at a ceremony held at UNIFIL’s Headquarters in Naqoura.

Addressing the ceremony, UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas highlighted UNIFIL’s commitment to enhance the operational capabilities of the army to ensure security in the South.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel requested that Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi not travel outside of Lebanon “during this critical time” in the country, therefore preventing him from taking part in a security conference in France, reported Al-Akhbar newspaper on Tuesday.

It added that Charbel is closely inspecting all travel requests submitted by security officers and personnel from the security apparatuses within the Interior Ministry before allowing them to head abroad.

Eighty Syrian refugees arrived in the Lebanese border town of Jabal Akroum after they fled their hometown of Kseir that witnessed arrests among anti-regime protesters, the pan-Arab daily Asharq Awsat reported on Tuesday.

Sources told the newspaper that the Lebanese border towns of Akroum, Wadi Khaled, Kuneissat and Hneider are packed with Syrian families fleeing the unrest in their hometowns.