Premier-designate Najib Miqati held talks with top Lebanese official away from the media spotlight over the weekend in a bid to end the impasse which he claims is the result of lingering by the different parties of the March 8 forces to provide him with the names they suggest for the portfolios that are part of their shares in the new cabinet.

Sources following Miqati’s consultations told An Nahar daily in remarks published Sunday that the premier-designate was still waiting for the list of names that the new parliamentary majority should suggest to him in accordance with the constitution.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman ended his visit to Lebanon on Saturday after holding talks with a number of Lebanese officials on the government formation process, including President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati.

A U.S. Embassy statement said on Friday that he reiterated the U.S.'s view that the international community will assess its relationship with any new government of Lebanon based on the make-up of the next cabinet, its ministerial statement and the actions it takes in regard to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and Lebanon's other international obligations.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat stressed to An Nahar daily on Saturday that the new cabinet should be formed soon “in order to fortify Lebanon on the security and economic levels”.

He noted that the region is passing through a difficult period “that has many positive outcomes and some negative ones”.

No progress will be reached in the government formation for before ten days due to the regional developments and numerous diplomatic visits to Lebanon and the region, a concerned source told al-Jumhuriya newspaper in remarks published on Friday.

President Michel Suleiman’s circles meanwhile noted that there are no new developments in the consultations in the government formation.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has said that Syria’s stability and future are important for Lebanon.

“What matters to us is a strong and stable Syria, where stability is accompanied with reform,” Jumblat told As Safir newspaper on Friday.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati stated on Friday that forming a responsible government in Lebanon stems from “a pure national will”.

He said after holding talks with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman that he accepted his role as premier “in order to establish a national and productive government capable of living up to the expectations of the Lebanese.”

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has reportedly informed Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat that France is keen on preserving Lebanon’s stability amid an uprising against the Syrian regime.

France is aware of the suppression of the Syrian people and cannot stand idle, Juppe told Jumblat and Caretaker Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi during a meeting in Paris on Tuesday, Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted sources as saying.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has informed the March 8 forces that he continued to hold onto the nomination of Najib Miqati as premier-designate, informed sources said.

The sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that Jumblat told members of the new parliamentary majority that Miqati should remain prime minister-designate because no alternative is ready but stressed that he might accept the nomination of MP Bahia Hariri or former lawmaker Bahij Tabbara.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat noted on Monday that the Nakba Day clashes that erupted at Maroun al-Ras and the Golan Heights on Sunday mark the beginning of a new Arab-Israeli conflict that will force the Jewish state to acknowledge the Palestinian people’s right to return to their homeland.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “The developments in the Arab world confirm that the Palestinian people can no longer be denied their legitimate rights.”

Hizbullah is reportedly mediating between Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat after the FPM asked for a “services ministry” alleging that it has no such portfolio as part of its shares in the new cabinet.

Sources involved in the consultations aimed at forming the government told al-Akhbar daily in remarks published Monday that Hizbullah made no major progress yet in its mediation efforts.