French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo has tried to mend the relation with Bkirki by telling Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi that her country is “keen on the centuries-long, historic relation between Paris and the patriarchate,” a media report said.

Paris “highly appreciates the national role that is being played by Bkirki,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper quoted Grillo as telling al-Rahi.

Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has stressed that the rival political camp “does not have any chance to impose a president” and is “gradually deteriorating.”

“In return, our camp started with a promising chance when it supported the nomination of (ex-)Minister (Suleiman) Franjieh, because he is the man of patriotic characteristics who shows openness towards everyone locally and at the Arab and regional levels,” Qassem added.

German federal prosecutors announced the arrest of two alleged members of Hezbollah on Wednesday suspected of recruiting and organizing activities for the Lebanese group.

Named only as Lebanese national Hassan M. and German-Lebanese dual citizen Abdul-Latif W. the pair were detained in northern Germany, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati might meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the sidelines of the Arab League's summit in Jeddah this month, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said.

Bou Habib told al-Jadeed that Lebanon would welcome Syria for a visit but cannot economically cooperate with it for fear of U.S. sanctions.

The Free Patriotic Movement on Wednesday stressed the "independence" of its decision in the presidential file, saying it rejects the approaches of both the "confrontation" and "defiance" camps, in reference to the camps that support rival candidates Michel Mouawad and Suleiman Franjieh.

“The Movement calls on parliamentary blocs to draw lessons from the foreign stances on the presidential issue and to return the juncture to its domestic aspect,” the FPM’s political council said in a statement after a periodic meeting.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah visited Syria and met with its president Bashar al-Assad after the Iranian-Saudi reconciliation agreement was signed, a media report said.

“The discussion points included all of the regional files, from the situation in Israel and its latest developments to the situation in Syria to the presidency in Lebanon,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has asked ministers about what can be done in the Syrian refugee file and the looming vacuum in the central bank governor post in light of the ongoing presidential void, a media report said.

Mikati raised the question in Monday’s consultative ministerial meeting at the Grand Serail, which was attended by all of the government’s components including the Free Patriotic Movement.

There is a “beginning of a transformation” in Paris’ stance on the Lebanese presidential file, specifically as to its call for electing Suleiman Franjieh as president in return for naming Nawaf Salam as premier, several highly-informed French sources have said.

“Paris has reached a conclusion that its plan does not enjoy the circumstances of success,” the sources told the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Tuesday.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has told Speaker Nabih Berri that he will not endorse Suleiman Franjieh, informed sources told al-Akhbar.

The sources said, in remarks published Tuesday, that Jumblat cannot endorse a settlement without the approval of one of the two largest Christian blocs, in order to maintain the Christian-Druze ties in Mount Lebanon.

International and regional pressure for ending Lebanon’s presidential void has pushed political forces, including the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, to intensify communication in a bid to reach consensus over a presidential candidate, a media report and an LF MP said.

“The contacts have led to breakthroughs but have not yet reached the stage of consensus over a single candidate,” Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, which is close to the Saudi leadership, reported on Tuesday.