Sleiman condemns Syria bombing

Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman has strongly condemned the bombing which took place at the heart of Syria's security apparatus on Wednesday, describing it as a "terrorist attack." A bombing at a security building in the Syrian capital Wednesday killed Syria's minister of defence Daoud Rajha, President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat, as well as General Hassan Turkmani, a former defence minister and senior military official Opening up Wednesday's cabinet session with a few words, the President went on to seize the occasion to congratulate Lebanese Muslims on the pending arrival of the holy month of Ramadan.  He later briefed the cabinet members on the outcome of his visits to Turkey and France. After endorsing the 2012 state budget, Sleiman urged Ministers to seriously launch electoral-law discussions. Reading out the cabinet's decisions, minister of information Walid Daouk quoted the Prime Minister as saying that the current situation in the country was critical, difficult, and complicated. "The current situation entails the government to keep vigil so as to preserve the credibility of the state," he quoted Mikati as saying. "Does the resignation of the government constitute a loophole to the existing plight? Or would it be more of a final blow for the state's work, entity, and symbolism?" the Prime Minister asked. "What is sought is that we work hand in hand to restore the state's credibility," Daouk quoted Mikati as saying. He also relayed the Premier's stressing that no political party must wash their hands clean of what is happening in the country. "We are all responsible before the Lebanese and we must all bear the responsibility to lead this ship to the safety shore and energise the government's productivity," Mikati maintained. The cabinet session was convened today at the Baabda presidential palace under the chairmanship of President Michel Sleiman. Ministers mainly approved a draft law on amending the income tax, the appointment of Faisal Noureddine Taleb as the Director General of the Ministry of Culture, returning Louis Lahoud to his position as the Director General in office of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the extension of UNIFIL mandate of one year.