Opposition lawmaker Robert Ghanem said Thursday he will meet with Speaker Nabih Berri next week to discuss with him a proposal to head meetings of a parliamentary subcommittee on an electoral draft-law, which are seen as a test of intentions.

Ghanem told An Nahar daily he hasn't yet been officially notified to head the meetings over the presence of Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, who is the subcommittee's chairman, in Paris.

The members of the Joint Parliamentary Committees will convene on January 8 to discuss the electoral law, the parliament's administrative department revealed on Wednesday.

Lawmakers said after their weekly talks with Speaker Nabih Berri that the AMAL Movement leader encourages these discussions and is optimistic about their outcome.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri may return to Lebanon in light of the agreement reached between the March 14 opposition and Speaker Nabih Berri over the resumption of parliamentary subcommittee meetings, reported the daily Ad Diyar on Tuesday.

A mediator between Berri and Hariri told the daily: “The former premier is seriously considering returning to Lebanon within two months of the time that the opposition had agreed to resuming contacts with the speaker.”

Speaker Nabih Berri voiced his concern over a number of impending issues set to be tackled in 2013, including the ongoing dispute over a parliamentary electoral law, reported the daily An Nahar on Tuesday.

He expressed his fear “over the ongoing lack of communication between Prime Minister Najib Miqati and the March 14 opposition and its impact on the country.

March 14 opposition members of the parliamentary subcommittee announced on Monday that they will return to the committee meetings aimed at discussing a new parliamentary electoral law.

They announced, after a meeting held at MP Butros Harb's residence, that they will return to the meetings, which will be held a hotel near the parliament building in downtown Beirut, adding that the discussions should not exceed one week.

The cabinet is expected on Thursday to focus on the humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees fleeing the turmoil in the neighboring country into Lebanon during its last session for 2012 as it will also tackle launching the first phase of issuing tenders for oil exploration, An Nahar newspaper reported Monday.

Sharp differences surfaced among cabinet members on how to deal with the mass influx of Syrian and Palestinian refugees into Lebanon from Syria, the daily said.

March 14 MP Butros Harb accused on Saturday the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance of paralyzing the 2013 parliamentary elections to keep the government of Prime Minister Najib Miqati in power.

During a press conference he held at his residence in Hazmieh, Harb accused the parliamentary majority of corruption and protecting drug dealers and assassins.

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed hope on Thursday that a parliamentary subcommittee on the electoral draft-law would resume its meeting by the year's end.

In remarks to An Nahar daily, Berri said he was in continuous contact with the March 14 opposition alliance to pave way for the revival of the subcommittee before the New Year.

The March 14 General Secretariat stressed on Wednesday its commitment to holding the parliamentary elections on time, saying that it seeks an agreement over a new electoral law.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We respect constitutional deadlines, while the March 8 camp appears to be afraid of the elections as it is worried that it will be defeated.”

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday the need for the parliamentary elections to be held on time.

He said during his weekly meeting with lawmakers: “The March 14 camp is dealing positively with this issue.”