Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Saturday that his busy schedule prevented him from meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman on Friday.

He explained to reporters: “I was in the South and it helped me see the clear picture when he visited various officials, whom we all trust.”

Premier-designate Najib Miqati is holding on to his constitutional rights in forming the new cabinet, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Saturday.

“If I began my governmental career by abandoning the constitution, what will I be left with?” his visitors quoted him as asking.

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali assured on Friday that Syria is more fortified than ever after the recent unrest witnessed in the Arab country.

He said after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri: “Matters are improving and reforms are being implemented at a fast pace.”

No progress will be reached in the government formation for before ten days due to the regional developments and numerous diplomatic visits to Lebanon and the region, a concerned source told al-Jumhuriya newspaper in remarks published on Friday.

President Michel Suleiman’s circles meanwhile noted that there are no new developments in the consultations in the government formation.

Speaker Nabih Berri and March 14 lawmakers are expected to clash over his efforts to hold a parliamentary session amid a political vacuum caused by the absence of a new government.

“No matter what the opinion of colleagues is, some things need to be discussed,” Berri told An Nahar daily in remarks published Wednesday. He said the issue of prisons and the election of a governor for the Central Bank were among the priorities that necessitated a parliamentary session despite the absence of a cabinet.

Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed that Premier-designate Najib Miqati has no substitute and stressed that his continued efforts to form the cabinet didn’t end yet.

“Others have taken longer time trying to accomplish this task,” Berri told An Nahar newspaper published Wednesday.

Speaker Nabih Berri described on Tuesday the clashes at Maroun al-Ras as an “Israeli massacre in the South.”

He said after holding talks with United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon Commander General Alberto Asarta: “The massacre is a major violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 and a threat to the security and stability of the region.”

Speaker Nabih Berri has discussed with Caretaker Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar the possibility of resorting to an aspect of parliamentary systems in which the legislature can replace the caretaker cabinet in taking major decisions.

One of the Speaker’s visitors told al-Joumhouria newspaper that Berri is trying to resort to constitutional means that allow the parliament to implement decisions such as extending the tenure of the Central Bank governor, or to judicial means to solve the demands of Roumieh prison inmates and grant some cases a general amnesty.

Speaker Nabih Berri said that the parliament will begin holding sessions to compensate the ongoing standstill in the formation of the cabinet.

Berri told As Safir newspaper published Monday that there is a “certain step” that he will reveal on Monday, saying that he will be giving a grace period, until mid-week, to the continued efforts to solve the government deadlock.

President Michel Suleiman stressed that there are no more disagreements over the government formation now that the dispute over the Interior Ministry has been resolved, adding that other sides are responsible for creating obstacles.

He said: “Some sides believe that they are entitled to the Defense, Health, and Education portfolios that they will demand ten ministries, including nine portfolios.”