President Michel Suleiman is expected to make a speech on Saturday during the unveiling of the busts of the 12 Lebanese presidents that have ruled the country since its independence in 1943, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday.

The daily said that the president will retain the “firm tone” that marked his recent speeches.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi does not put a veto on any candidate for the presidency.

In terse remarks to al-Liwaa newspaper published on Friday, Geagea said that his ties with Bkirki were excellent and that he was in continuous contact with al-Rahi.

President Michel Suleiman received a phone call from a prominent Saudi figure, thanking him on his statements that support Saudi Arabia, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Friday.

Baabda Palace sources told the newspaper that Suleiman's “stance wasn't to take sides with any axis in the region but to defend Lebanon's interest.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that the decision to announce his candidacy for the presidency lied on several factors but the presidential elections should first be preceded by straightening the country's political situation.

“We will discuss it with our allies and inside the LF executive authority at the appropriate time although my decision is linked to a group of factors that will determine if I will be a candidate or not,” Geagea told several local dailies in interviews published on Thursday.

President Michel Suleiman condemned on Wednesday the assassination of Hizbullah official Hassan Laqqis, saying it is part of an Israeli plot against Lebanon.

He said in a statement: “The assassination is a new chapter in Israel's attempts to create sectarian strife and target civil peace.”

President Michel Suleiman slammed on Wednesday the criticism directed against Saudi Arabia by some officials in Lebanon, rejecting meddling in the affairs of other countries.

He said: “We should not ruin Lebanon's relations with Saudi Arabia by making baseless accusations against it.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said on Wednesday that politicians are incapable of resolving any of the local crises, calling for reconciliation among the residents of Tripoli to end the sectarian clashes.

“President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Miqati and I are working on the same level but we are incapable of ending the standstill,” Jumblat said in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Tuesday that Hizbullah revealed its true colors and is acting according to its own will, pointing out that the cabinet must be swiftly formed to end the paralysis in the country.

“Hizbullah has set its strategy and is bluntly contradicting the laws and constitution,” Geagea said via Skype during the LF annual convention in Melbourne, Australia.

The Syndicate Coordination Committee vowed on Tuesday to go on strike if the Finance and Budget Parliamentary Committee, which is headed by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, failed to refer to the parliament the decree aimed at increasing the salaries of public sector employees.

Kanaan said in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper that the committee discussed on Monday the decree, which still needs a final drafting that would be wrapped up in the upcoming two days.

Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati denied that the northern city of Tripoli had become a military zone, saying the army will only take charge of security in it for six months to end the bloody clashes.

Announcing Tripoli a military zone “hasn't been under discussion from the beginning,” Miqati told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday.