Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri hailed on Saturday former Minister Mohammed Shatah on the first anniversary of his assassination as a figure of moderation and dialogue.

Geagea said during a press conference on the occasion: “We miss your wisdom, nationalism, and moderation during a time when we are most in need of them.”

Grand Mutfi Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan on Friday said Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz welcomes the dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal Movement.

Daryan voiced his remarks at Beirut's airport upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia, where he held talk with top Saudi officials and al-Mustaqbal leader MP Saad Hariri.

The much-anticipated dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal movement is scheduled to start on Tuesday, media reports said, although Speaker Nabih Berri did not confirm the date.

Local dailies published on Monday said the representatives of the two parties will meet in Ain el-Tineh under Berri, who will later withdraw from the talks to pave way for the rivals to discuss controversial issues.

Head of ODAS company Admiral Edouard Guillaud is scheduled to return to Lebanon next week in order to place the finishing touches of the Saudi-French arms deal for the army, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.

The French official is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Tuesday to make the final signatures of the deal ahead of its implementation.

Salafist cleric Wissam al-Masri warned on Saturday that the failure to strike a deal with the Islamist militants, who are holding several Lebanese soldiers and policemen captive, threatens the lives of the servicemen, revealing that he will head to the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal soon.

“We are exerting all efforts to resolve the case,” Masri said in an interview with As Safir newspaper, expressing belief that the servicemen “will not be well if the negotiations collapsed.”

A Mustaqbal Movement delegation returned overnight to Beirut aboard a private jet after a short visit to the Saudi capital Riyadh, the state-run National News Agency reported on Friday.

The news agency said that the delegation, which was headed by head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora, discussed with the movement's chief Saad Hariri the latest developments in Lebanon.

A high-ranking al-Mustaqbal movement delegation traveled Wednesday to Saudi Arabia to discuss Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's possible withdrawal from the presidential run.

According to state-run National News Agency, the delegation was led by head of al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq.

Speaker Nabih Berri has said that the suspension of the Lebanese Forces' participation in discussions on an electoral draft-law would not impede the work of the parliamentary subcommittee that is dealing with the matter.

Berri told his visitors that the LF stance “does not end the work of the committee nor suspends the deadline set for it until the start of the new year.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea held talks Tuesday with al-Mustaqbal movement leader MP Saad Hariri as part of his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea left Sunday for Saudi Arabia for talks with top Saudi officials.