Tom Fletcher is expected to replace Frances Mary Guy as British Ambassador to Lebanon next month after the Lebanese government approved his nomination.

After the announcement of his appointment as Ambassador to Beirut, Fletcher said: "I am thrilled to be coming to Lebanon at such a pivotal period, and will do all I can to support our shared objectives of political and economic stability and protection of democratic and human rights."

In the first comment by an opposition leader on the vote of confidence Premier Najib Miqati’s government won earlier in the day by a 68-vote majority, Phalange Party leader Amin Genayel sarcastically said “Miqati’s government actually got 56 votes.”

Explaining his point of view, Gemayel deducted the 12 votes of the members of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, noting that the remarks of MP Mohammed Raad, the head of the bloc, during the debate on the Policy Statement “totally contradict with the Policy Statement’s 14th article,” which stipulates that Lebanon will “respect” the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

An American administration official may visit Beirut next week in order to hold talks with Lebanese officials to determine the United States’ position on the new cabinet, reported the Central News Agency on Thursday.

The official, likely to be U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffery Feltman, will hold talks with President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati and a number of other figures.

The head of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) office in Beirut Richard Hauser stated on Thursday that the transportation of 97 computers by the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) to Israel from Naqoura in southern Lebanon is a normal procedure adopted by the U.N.

His statements came as a response to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s reveal of a UNTSO document stating that the computers belong to the UNIIIC and they were in fact moved to Israel.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati criticized on Thursday some of the statements issued by MPs during their discussions of the government policy statement at parliament during the past three days, saying that some of their remarks were unrealistic and illogical.

He said at the end of the discussions: “We welcome constructive criticism but some of the statements were irresponsible and violated my principles.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s government on Thursday won a vote of confidence in parliament, after opposition MPs walked out en masse moments before the vote.

Miqati's government secured 68 out of a possible 128 votes in parliament, where Hizbullah and its allies hold a slight majority.

Hizbullah MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi accused Police Intelligence chief Col. Wissam al-Hassan on Thursday of providing the information about the indictment in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination to a media outlet.

“The security agency that distributed the copies and résumés of the accused before it becomes public is known. Col. Wissam al-Hassan delivered the leaks to a single media outlet,” al-Moussawi said at the parliament.

The head of the Mustaqbal bloc former Premier Fouad Saniora voiced on Thursday his support for the rotation of power in Lebanon, saying that if the March 8 camp won the majority then it would have had the right to form a government.

He said during the parliament session to discuss the government policy statement: “It however assumed power through the use of weapons and we reject this and we refuse to succumb to it.”

Phalange MP Sami Gemayel said on Thursday that Lebanon is facing two major problems; the first is related to justice while the second is related to equality.

“We’re facing a systematic crisis mainly not a governmental crisis,” he said during the fifth session of the three-day discussions of the cabinet’s policy statement.

The head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad stated on Thursday that the government and opposition should work together to maintain Lebanon’s national principles, despite their political differences.

He said during the parliament session aimed at discussing the cabinet policy statement: “The government is concerned with implementing the constitution and abiding by the law to resolve political disputes and address the people’s needs.”