Prime Minister Tammam Salam stressed the need for local rivals to fully commit to dissociation from Syria's crisis in a bid to boost security in Lebanon, adding that facilitating his government's mission was the responsibility of all parties.

"I am totally aware of how complicated the situation is and of the fact that political parties are at odds over all local and external issues,"he said in an interview with The Daily Star published on Thursday.

"But I rely on these same parties to facilitate the work of the government through adherence to the path of consensus, something which led to the birth of the Cabinet of national interest."

Salam slammed both the March 8 and March 14 coalitions' interference in the developments in Syria, blaming it for creating tension in the country.

"This requires efforts, by all political factions participating in the government, to prioritize the higher national interest," Salam said.

The prime minister outlined the need for strict security measures to be adopted in order to address the deteriorating local situation, along with other pre-emptive measures to thwart sabotage plans.

He said that such measures would restore the prestige of the state and significantly reduce security threats.

"The Lebanese have experienced such steps when implemented by our government in Arsal and the surrounding region and they were successful. We hope that similar measures will be taken soon in other areas that are witnessing security incidents," Salam said.

Salam deemed the anticipated range of presidential candidates as indicating a healthy breadth of political representation.

"I will not make predictions on whether the upcoming president will be elected within the constitutional period," Salam said. "All that I want to say is our government has expressed in its policy statement its commitment to provide the suitable atmosphere to hold the presidential election on time, out of respect for the Constitution and the principle of transition of power, and it will stick to this commitment."

The prime minister said he believed that a greater harm resulting from Syria's war was the presence of over 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

"Lebanon cannot shoulder this burden alone and it is in need of help from sisterly and friend states along with donors," Salam said. "We are waiting for the support for Lebanon expressed during the recent Paris conference to materialize."

"We in the government adhere to our commitment in the policy statement to lay down the necessary mechanisms to address the issue of refugees and hold the Arab and international community responsible in this regard," Salam said.