Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has expressed readiness to engage in a “serious dialogue” with its arch foe Hizbullah and described the upcoming presidential elections as the “mother of all battles.”

“There is no tension with Hizbullah. Our differences with it are not personal or sectarian,” Geagea told al-Akhbar newspaper in an interview published on Monday.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed during a rally marking the ninth anniversary of the March 14 “Independence Uprising” on Friday that “any resistance outside state's authority” is “illegitimate,” calling on his coalition to endorse a “strong” March 14 presidential nominee even if there are “several candidates.”

“The previous and current experiences of the Lebanese with Hizbullah and its allies have proven that they do not have any consideration for the Lebanese state and the future of the Lebanese and their security, neither for their own commitments and pledges,” Geagea said via video link from Maarab, addressing the rally that was held at the BIEL exhibition center in Beirut.

The Lebanese Forces formed a 12-member committee to draft a detailed presidential election program to prepare the candidacy of its leader Samir Geagea as he is threatening to withdraw from the March 14 alliance over the policy statement row.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Friday that the 12-member committee comprises experts in various fields.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq's remarks from Rabieh caused a stir among the March 14 allies over the rapprochement between the al-Mustaqbal movement and the Free Patriotic Movement, local newspapers reported on Friday.

According to al-Joumhouria newspaper, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and leaders affiliated in the March 14 coalition expressed ire over Mashnouq's statement, prompting al-Mustaqbal movement leader Saad Hariri to contact Geagea to explain the matter.

An agreement on the names of two candidates for the presidential elections is among many proposals set to be discussed during a planned meeting between the country's top four Maronite leaders, Bkirki spokesman Walid Ghayyad said Thursday.

Ghayyad told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) that no date has yet been set for the meeting between Phalange leader Amin Gemayel, Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and the head of Marada movement, Suleiman Franjieh.

Bkirki is seeking to strike a deal between the top four Maronite politicians in the country on the presidential elections but it is shying away from naming its candidate for the top post, An Nahar daily reported on Wednesday.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is keen on avoiding a vacuum at Baabda Palace after President Michel Suleiman rejected an extension and stressed that he would leave his post at the end of his term on May 4, it said.

An alleged plan by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to visit Saudi Arabia left the Lebanese media guessing whether such a trip will take place anytime soon.

Rabieh has not yet confirmed or denied that Aoun could make such a visit for talks with top Saudi officials.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea defended President Michel Suleiman against Hizbullah's harsh rhetoric, saying the Lebanese are fed up with the party's practices, which contradict the authorities of the state institutions.

Geagea told al-Mustaqbal newspaper published on Monday that Suleiman “said what he had to say last Friday on our behalf.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea slammed on Thursday a ministerial policy statement that seeks to respect all parties' stances, stating that “the problem lies in Hizbullah's fighting in Syria and that this reality must change.”

“Any talks to overcome the current security situation in the country necessitates a change in the reality of things and this is what's expected from the new cabinet. Any cabinet should adopt new policies,” Geagea said during a press conference held in Maarab.

Saudi Arabia is determined to invite a number of Lebanese political figures to visit it in order to “bolster the consensual atmosphere” produced by the formation of a new government, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

These figures include Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who may visit the kingdom soon, added the daily.