Bkirki spokesman Walid Ghayyad has denied that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and al-Mustaqbal movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri have discussed the names of presidential candidates.

Ghayyad told al-Mustaqbal daily that al-Rahi and Hariri agreed during their meeting in Rome Monday on the need to intensify efforts to elect a new president.

The March 14 alliance discussed the latest political developments in Lebanon, the ongoing presidential vacuum and parliamentary polls.

The meeting that was held at the Center House and chaired by head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Fouad Saniora tackled the recent meeting between ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Rome.

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri denied on Tuesday media reports that said that he had discussed with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi alternative presidential candidates, while also stressing his support for the Lebanese army and its confrontation with extremists.

He said: “I did not discuss any names with al-Rahi. These claims may have been made to create sensationalist reporting.”

The names of several presidential candidates have been discussed as potential figures to fill the ongoing vacuum at the Baabda Palace, local newspapers reported on Tuesday.

An Nahar newspaper reported that head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri discussed last week with French President Francois Hollande in Paris the names of four candidates from the March 14 alliance and three centrists.

A meeting was held last week between al-Mustaqbal Movement and AMAL representatives to discuss the controversial extension of parliament's term, As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the daily, the meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Speaker Nabih Berri's adviser, and Nader Hariri, head of ex-PM Saad Hariri's office.

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader MP Saad Hariri on Monday stressed the need to elect a “consensual” president as he reiterated his rejection of holding parliamentary polls before the presidential vote.

“The priority in the country is the election of a new president and we as political forces must make initiatives and elect a president who enjoys everyone's approval,” said Hariri after a closed-door meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi at the latter's residence place in Rome.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri reiterated on Monday that he was trying hard to push for the election of a new president in Lebanon.

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro, Hariri said: “Lebanon's coexistence … is menaced by the paralysis of institutions amid a presidential vacuum.”

Speaker Nabih Berri traveled to Geneva to attend a parliamentary conference as media reports said Sunday he may make a stop in Italy to hold talks with Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

The daily An Nahar said that the speaker is set to return to Lebanon on Friday and may travel to Rome, which Hariri and al-Rahi are currently visiting.

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel lashed out on Saturday at the Free Patriotic Movement and Hizbullah, accusing them of having interests to impede the election of a new head of state.

“Whoever wants to run for the presidency has the right... If the candidate didn't have enough support at the parliament then he withdraws,” Gemayel said in an interview with An Nahar newspaper.

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed concern on Saturday over the ongoing attempts by terrorists to overrun towns in the Eastern Mountain Range and to cause chaos in the northern port city of Tripoli.

“If the Lebanese remain united, then they (terrorists) will not be able to achieve much,” Berri said in comments published in al-Akhbar newspaper.