Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has voiced concern that “something big” might be blocking the formation of the new government as he condemned the latest fiasco that followed the nomination of Jawad Adra as a so-called consensus minister.

“I’m afraid that something big might be behind the obstruction but it is still unclear to me. It is something bigger than the issue of the Consultative Gathering and deeper than the issue of portfolios,” Berri told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Monday.

President Michel Aoun held talks Monday in Baabda with Speaker Nabih Berri and was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

Media reports said the meetings follow an urgent invitation from Aoun and are aimed at exploring means to break the government formation deadlock.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday revealed that “new mechanisms” are being discussed in order to overcome the so-called Sunni obstacle that is delaying the formation of the new government.

“Everyone knows that it is necessary to form the government in order to confront all problems and challenges, especially the economic and social situations,” Berri said during the weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting.

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed “pessimism” about the recent government-related issues, rejecting accusations that the Shiite duo (AMAL Movement of the Speaker and Hizbullah) were obstructing the formation process, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Although sharp-toned, the latest stances of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah “left the door open for solutions,” Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday.

Quoting the speaker after the weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting, MPs also said that Berri had informed Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil of his stance on the ideas the latter has proposed to resolve the so-called Sunni obstacle that is delaying the formation of the new government.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that “all we can do is to pray for the government to be formed.”

Berri also warned over the economic situation in the country and the “dangerous developments” in the region, telling MPs that he prefers to hold back on a legislative session that he had intended to call for in light of “the current situation and circumstances.”

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday reiterated that “the formation of a government has become more than a necessity,” warning over the economic situation in the country.

“There won't be a problem over the ministerial policy statement after the formation of the government, because its main lines will be based on the statement of the current government,” Berri told lawmakers during the weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that he sees a “glimmer of hope” in the Cabinet formation process, revealing that a meeting will be held later in the day between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

Noting that there seems to be “a balance in concessions” regarding the government, Berri said “the response to the Israeli threats lies in forming the government as soon as possible.”

Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that Parliament would resort to so-called “legislation of necessity” should the government take too long to be formed.

“The beginning of solutions is the presence of a national unity government that answers all questions and works to confront the challenges,” Berri told lawmakers during the weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting.

Speaker Nabih Berri called on the joint parliamentary committees for a meeting on Thursday to resume discussing several projects and draft laws, the National News Agency reported on Monday.

Berri invited the Finance and Budget Committees, Administration and Justice, National Defense, Interior and Municipalities, National Economy and Trade, Industry and Planning, Agriculture and Tourism, Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water and Information Technology.