Head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora accused on Monday the Free Patriotic Movement of impeding the government formation with the help of Hizbullah, stressing that the two sides backed down on their commitments.

“All parties agreed to facilitate the formation of the cabinet, however, now some sides are obstructing the matter and imposing condition,” Saniora said in comments published in the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour stressed on Sunday the need for Lebanon to enjoy a strong army “capable of deterring any Israeli assault,” reported Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).

He told the radio: “We should not compare Syria's actions towards Lebanon to Israeli assaults against the country.”

President Michel Suleiman deemed on Sunday as “shameful” the ongoing delay in the formation of a new government.

He said: “Committing to Lebanon is more important than hanging on to a specific minister.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a series of contacts with several rival parties to push forward the cabinet formation process that reached a standstill after it was put on front burner recently.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported that Hariri reportedly held a telephone conversation with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun.

French President Francois Hollande on Friday promised President Michel Suleiman to start equipping the Lebanese Army with weapons “as soon as possible.”

Hollande also reiterated “Paris' commitment to supporting Lebanon” during a meeting with Suleiman in Tunisia, where they took part alongside world leaders in a ceremony celebrating the adoption of the country's new constitution.

President Michel Suleiman participated on Friday in a ceremony in Tunisia to celebrate the adoption of the country's new constitution three years after the revolution and attended by the heads of state.

Suleiman voiced hope during a brief speech before the Tunisian national assembly that Tunis enjoys stability and prosperity after the adoption of the new constitution.

The International Support Group for Lebanon is expected to meet in March in Paris at the invitation of France for the establishment of two funds the first to support Lebanon's economy and the second to aid the Syrian refugees in the country.

Sources told An Nahar newspaper that the meeting will seek to set a plan to grant Lebanon the funds to offer it financial support amid the acute crisis it's suffering from due to the ongoing conflict in Syria.

Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour stressed on Friday that the Progressive Socialist Party is seeking to avert the ongoing cabinet crisis and end the rift among the rival political parties.

“We are seeking to ease tension and end disputes” among the political foes, Abou Faour said in comments published in al-Liwaa newspaper.

Last minute obstacles linked to two key security portfolios prevented the formation of the government on Thursday after the March 8 alliance expressed reservations on making the two of them as part of the share of the March 14 camp.

President Michel Suleiman and Premier-designate Tammam Salam were planning to issue the cabinet formation decrees on Thursday but the Hizbullah-led March 8 team insisted to stick to the threatened boycott of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

The new government of Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam is expected to be announced on Thursday or over the weekend following the return of President Michel Suleiman from a trip to Tunisia.

An Nahar newspaper said Thursday that Suleiman and Salam put the final touches on the cabinet lineup during a meeting at Baabda Palace on Wednesday, their second in three days.