Former chief U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis has accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of ordering the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri for allegedly seeking to topple his regime.

Mehlis said in an interview with the German radio Deutsche Welle on Thursday that Assad ordered Hariri’s Feb. 2005 killing after Damascus “suspected that he was seeking to topple the Syrian regime and disarm Hizbullah in cooperation with France and U.S.”

The cabinet of Premier Najib Miqati is not expected to take decisions on major appointments in state institutions except for the renewal of Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh’s mandate, ministerial sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily published Friday that the renewal of Salameh for a fourth term will be made as soon as the government receives parliament’s vote of confidence.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet will head to Beirut on Tuesday to follow-up the investigation into the abduction of seven Estonian tourists in the Bekaa valley in March.

An Nahar newspaper reported on Friday that Paet will visit Lebanon to get the latest updates on the probe into the kidnapping and the location of the abductees.

The committee tasked with drafting the new cabinet’s policy statement agreed on its general framework and discussed controversial issues such as Lebanon’s international commitments and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, PM Najib Miqati’s sources said.

The sources told al-Mustaqbal daily on Friday that the committee agreed in its first meeting that each minister would prepare his own vision on the ministerial statement and would propose it during the next session.

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Syrian Social National Party chief MP Assaad Hardan have said that the new majority should be fully responsible in making much anticipated achievements.

A joint statement said that Nasrallah met with Hardan, who was accompanied by Qassem Saleh, in the presence of Hizbullah official Mahmoud Qomati.

A high-ranking Lebanese army delegation headed by Maj. Gen. Abdel Rahman Shehaitly is holding talks with top U.S. officials during a routine visit to Washington, An Nahar daily reported Friday.

The newspaper said that the delegation met on Wednesday with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jacob Walles, and Colin Kahl, who is the deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East.

President Michel Suleiman is expected to visit Syria after the adoption of the cabinet’s policy statement and parliament’s vote of confidence, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Friday.

Suleiman is reportedly said to visit Syria to meet his counterpart President Bashar Assad.

President Michel Suleiman is “seriously” mulling to re-launch the national dialogue to discuss the country’s defense strategy and economic issues, Baabda palace sources told As Safir daily.

The sources said in remarks published Friday that Suleiman is considering sending invitations to the country’s political leaders after the new cabinet receives parliament’s vote of confidence.

U.S. Congressman Howard Berman has introduced the Hizbullah Anti-Terrorism Act (HATA) that sets rigorous requirements for the provision of foreign assistance to Lebanon during periods when the Shiite party is part of the majority governing coalition.

The cosponsors of HATA include three Congressmen of Lebanese origin -Darrell Issa, Charles Boustany, and Nick Rahall.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Thursday stressed that he was not pressured into announcing the line-up of his long-awaited cabinet, which saw light on Monday after around five months of arduous negotiations.

“I swear to God I did not receive any phone call concerning cabinet formation on Sunday and only six people knew about the cabinet line-up, so I went to the presidential palace and said I won’t leave without announcing a cabinet line-up and I hope the Lebanese will support the new government,” Miqati said during an interview on LBC television.