Speaker Nabih Berri expected a parliamentary session scheduled to be held on Tuesday to meet the fate of its predecessors and fail in electing a new president.

“No progress has been made so far on an agreement to elect a new head of state,” said Berri in remarks published in al-Joumhouria daily on Monday.

Speaker Nabih Berri was on Sunday optimistic that the rival March 8 and 14 alliances would attend a legislative session to approve pending issues.

In remarks to An Nahar daily, Berri said: “There is a positive atmosphere.”

Prime Minister Tammam Salam reiterated on Saturday the importance of internal unity in confronting the threat of terrorism.

He said after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri: “We need to stand united against terrorism and we should not grant terrorists the chance to create division among us.”

Efforts are underway between officials from the rival March 8 and 14 camps in order to hold a legislative session next week to tackle pending issues, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

The efforts are focusing on means to resolve the dispute over the new wage scale, as well as issuing Eurobonds and tackling budget-related affairs.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Friday that he will accept the extension of the parliament's term if a new head of state was elected, ruling out that he would challenge the decision to prolong the legislature's tenure.

“I would accept the extension of the parliament's term only if a serious and real agreement to elect a consensual president preceded it,” Berri said in comments published in local newspapers.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday that there are no “under the table” deals regarding the controversial issue of extending the parliament’s term.

“We only work above the table,” said Berri during his weekly meeting with lawmakers.

A political settlement is likely to be reached between the country's rival leaders to resolve the paralysis of parliament after Speaker Nabih Berri said he reached an “initial understanding” with Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan to pass urgent draft-laws.

Parliament has been unable to legislate over the boycott of several blocs, including the March 14 alliance's lawmakers and Change and Reform MPs. The paralysis is linked to the presidential deadlock.

Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan announced on Tuesday the party's readiness to take part in legislative sessions aimed at addressing pressing issues.

He said: “We advocate tackling pressing affairs, such as the new wage scale.”

Speaker Nabih Berri has denied that he could make a magic trick to resolve the crisis on the parliamentary elections but compared the polls to the rabbit that would be pulled out of an empty hat.

“I think the parliamentary elections are the rabbit” that would come out of the magician's hat, Berri said.

A total of 162 candidates have so far submitted their nominations for the parliamentary elections as the deadline for the submissions looms on midnight on Tuesday, reported An Nahar daily on Sunday.

The Development and Liberation bloc of Speaker Nabih Berri and the Free Patriotic Movement MPs of Michel Aoun have submitted their candidacies, while the Mustaqbal bloc is expected to do so on Monday.