Prime Minister Najib Miqati lauded the efforts exerted by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel to maintain stability amid the difficult situation the country is passing through.

“I hope this would be considered as the basis for fortifying the security situation in the long term,” Miqati told As Safir newspaper on Wednesday.

President Michel Suleiman traveled to Bahrain on Tuesday as part of his efforts to convince the leaderships of four Gulf countries to review their travel advisories to Lebanon.

He held talks with King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa on bilateral ties and the situation in the Middle East.

March 14 opposition sources expected the country’s top leaders to “buy time” during a national dialogue session on Monday as the coalition seeks to integrate Hizbullah’s arms into the Lebanese army.

The sources told An Nahar daily that the leaders who met at Baabda palace under President Michel Suleiman are not expected to achieve tangible results.

The national dialogue was resumed on Monday with the gatherers voicing their rejection of the use of arms on the internal scene in Lebanon.

They said in a statement: “Political cover must be lifted off the use of weapons in Lebanon.”

The latest consultations held between President Michel Suleiman and members of the national dialogue will likely lead to a second Baabda Declaration that is set to highlight what the March 8 forces and the opposition have in common on the country’s defense strategy, An Nahar daily reported Sunday.

The seventeen March 8 and 14 leaders are scheduled to meet at Baabda palace on Monday in the second round of all-party talks since their resumption on June 11 after a 19-month standstill. They are set to discuss the defense strategy and the proliferation of arms in Lebanese cities and towns.

President Michel Suleiman held talks on Saturday with Prime Minister Najib Miqati who briefed him on his recent visit to Brazil.

According to the National News Agency, Miqati informed Suleiman on his meetings with officials in Rio de Janeiro and the Lebanese community there.

The national dialogue is set to resume on Monday with the defense strategy being the main topic of discussion, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.

Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc circles told As Safir newspaper on Saturday that the bloc is seeking to only discuss at the all-party talks the possession of arms outside the authority of the state.

Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi stressed on Friday that the parliament is the only authority capable of collapsing the cabinet.

“The current cabinet has the majority of the parliament and it will not collapse unless it took this decision,” Qortbawi told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).

President Michel Suleiman is exerting strong efforts to garner the support of 17 Lebanese leaders on the agenda of the next national dialogue session that is scheduled to be held at Baabda palace on Monday.

An Nahar daily reported Friday that Suleiman has launched secret consultations with the top officials to guarantee the success of the second round of the all-party talks that are set to tackle the defense strategy and how to benefit from Hizbullah’s arsenal in addition to resolving the proliferation of arms in Lebanese cities.

President Michel Suleiman is expected to travel to France at the end of June or in early July to hold talks with his French counterpart Francois Hollande, reported the daily An Nahar on Thursday.

It said that the visit will serve as an opportunity for the president to mark a new beginning of Lebanese-French ties, which was suggested by Hollande himself.