U.S. welcomes naming of new Lebanese Cabinet

The United States welcomes the announcement by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati of a new Lebanese Cabinet that will be submitted for parliamentary approval this week, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said on Tuesday.
For the United States and its partners on the UN Security Council, as well as those in the region, the most important thing for the new Lebanese government is "to move forward in conducting free and fair elections that are untainted by foreign interference, before the end of May." The key issue for U.S. officials in regard to Lebanon is that the investigation of the Feb. 14 assassination in Beirut of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri "have the full cooperation and support of the Lebanese government, and that we get to the bottom of the facts," Ereli said. "And whatever steps can contribute to that are important."