Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri reportedly gave on Friday his approval on a cabinet based on the 8-8-8 lineup, as President Michel Suleiman stated he will form a government if no consensus was reached between the political foes.

"A meeting held between (caretaker Social Affairs Minister) Wael Abu Faour and (head of Hariri's office) Nader Hariri has ended a while ago and the former PM accepted the 8-8-8 cabinet formula,” LBCI television reported on Friday evening.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy Dr. Matthew Spence paid a visit to Lebanon this week during which he highlighted his country's commitment to Lebanon, said the U.S. Embassy in a statement in Friday.

He expressed the United States' commitment to the “Lebanese army and preventing spillover from the Syrian conflict into Lebanon.”

Western countries in addition to Russia and China are expected to exert more pressure on Lebanese parties to elect a new president on time and avoid a vacuum, Western diplomatic sources said.

The sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published on Friday that the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China are among the countries pushing for parliament's election of the president starting March 25.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel stressed on Friday that contacts are ongoing with the March 14 allies and President Michel Suleiman regarding the cabinet formation process.

“Our stance from any government lineup will be encompassing and in coordination with the March 14 alliance to reach the required goals,” Gemayel said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.

Khalil Hrawi, adviser of President Michel Suleiman, did not rule out on Thursday the possibility of the formation of a neutral cabinet should efforts to form an all-embracing one fail, reported the Central News Agency.

He told the news agency however that political powers “are leaning towards the formation of an all-embracing government.”

The March 8 alliance was waiting for the final go ahead of al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on a cabinet proposal as the party sought answers on several questions, including the policy statement.

An Nahar daily quoted informed sources as saying on Thursday that the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp, which has accepted an 8-8-8 government formula, was waiting for Hariri's answer, whose movement is a member of the March 14 alliance.

The probe into the attack on Iran's embassy in Beirut in addition to other issues linked to Syria's war are on the agenda of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's talks with Lebanese officials.

Zarif will visit Beirut next Monday, the Lebanese foreign ministry said.

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam said he was betting on the efforts exerted by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and the advisors of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri to clinch a deal on the new government.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Wednesday, Salam denied that a final agreement has been reached among the rival parties on the form and shape of the cabinet.

Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated his rejection to isolate Hizbullah or any other party from the new government, confirming that efforts are underway to form an all-embracing cabinet.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published on Wednesday, Berri said: “I welcome anything except for the isolation of any party.”

President Michel Suleiman agreed on Tuesday to give a chance to discuss the 8-8-8 cabinet lineup but did not commit to ruling out forming a neutral council of ministers.

Suleiman's stances came in a meeting with the adviser of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hussein Khalil, and Caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who's the political adviser to Speaker Nabih Berri.