Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour slammed on Thursday officials who are demanding the government to expel the Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali, noting that such a move violates diplomatic norms and conventions.

“We follow certain norms that we will not bend,” Mansour said in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper.

Several March 14 camp officials lauded the discovery of a Syrian plot to create strife in Lebanon, as revealed by former minister and MP Michel Samaha’s arrest, saying the country should cut ties with Syria, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

MP Marwan Hamadeh hoped that Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour “would highlight the development to his Arab counterparts at the Jeddah conference.”

Syria’s Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali lauded on Friday the Lebanese General Security’s deportation of 14 Syrians, describing the move as “reassuring.”

Following talks with former Premier Salim Hoss in Beirut’s Aisha Bakkar district, Ali said: “The General Security’s move came in line with international standards.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati vowed on Saturday not to become a stumbling block to the formation of an “exceptional” government that requires foremost consensus among the Lebanese.

In an interview with pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in London, Miqati said: “I hold onto the success of the government at all levels despite all the hurdles and obstacles facing us … At the same time everyone knows that I don’t hold onto power but work to preserve the safety of Lebanon and the Lebanese.”

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali handed on Wednesday the Lebanese Foreign Ministry a letter of complaint over “Lebanese violations of the Syrian border,” reported LBCI television.

He told the station: “This is not the first time that the Lebanese authorities were handed similar complaints.”

Premier Najib Miqati expressed regret that the members of the cabinet were not exerting efforts to meet the demands of different sectors in Lebanon, his sources said.

They told al-Liwaa newspaper that he was unilaterally working in confronting the protests while the members of the cabinet were not acting.

President Michel Suleiman is throwing on Wednesday an Iftar banquet for Lebanese officials, spiritual leaders and foreign diplomats during which he is expected to reiterate the need for dialogue.

Media reports said Suleiman’s speech will focus on the latest developments in the region and the national dialogue session that was postponed to August 16 after the March 14 opposition coalition boycotted this week’s all-party talks.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said Tuesday he is taking his time to hand a letter of complaint to the Syrian envoy over Syria’s violation of Lebanon’s border because he is trying to first verify “some facts on the ground.”

On Monday, President Michel Suleiman condemned a recent infiltration by Syrian troops into Lebanon’s eastern border region of al-Qaa and the shelling of several border towns, asking Mansour to hand Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali a letter of complaint.

The March 14 opposition alliance hailed President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday over his “courageous” request to deliver a letter of protest to the Syrian ambassador over Syria’s repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

“This courageous stance is part of the sovereign positions that the Lebanese people have been missing,” Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel told An Nahar daily.

President Michel Suleiman condemned on Monday the Syrian troops’ infiltration into Lebanon’s eastern border region of al-Qaa and the shelling of several border towns, particularly in the north.

He tasked Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to hand Syrian ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali a letter of complaint over his country’s endeavors along the Lebanese-Syrian border.