Moderate MP Tamam Salam wins overwhelming support as new Lebanese Prime Minister

Backed by the pro-Western March 14 party and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, 67, the Sunni politician won an unprecedented 124 out of 128 parliamentary votes Saturday after Hizballah and its allies jumped aboard. In his inaugural speech Tamam Salam pledged to safeguard Lebanon from the war raging in neighboring Syria and regional tensions. He also promised to work with all the factions across the political spectrum and bridge the divide beween pro- and anti-Assad camps.