President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun were still at loggerheads on Sunday over the interior ministry portfolio and the Change and Reform bloc chief’s insistence to name most of the Christian ministers.

While Premier-designate Najib Miqati stressed he was keen on the constitution and balance of power, there were dim hopes of forming a cabinet soon amid the bickering between Suleiman and Aoun.

Political sources monitoring the formation of the new government revealed that the recent meeting Thursday night between Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati with Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil “has not overcome the several obstacles regarding FPM leader MP Michel Aoun’s demands over the new cabinet, including his demand for the interior ministry portfolio.”

They told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Saturday that House Speaker Nabih Berri had proposed that Aoun be granted the foreign ministry, while the speaker would assume the energy and defense ministries and the president would retain the interior ministry, but the suggestion was rejected.

Speaker Nabih Berri has brushed off criticism of the transfer of the parliamentary majority from the March 14 to the March 8 forces, saying there is no need for a tumult over the issue.

Berri’s visitors told An Nahar and As Safir dailies in remarks published Friday that it was not the first time power was transferred from one alliance to the other. It happened when Salim Hoss became premier instead of Rafik Hariri during ex-President Emile Lahoud’s term in office.

The process of the government formation has gone back to “square one” although the speeches of March 14 officials on ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination anniversary made it clear that the coalition won’t take part in Premier-designate Najib Miqati’s cabinet, informed political sources told An Nahar daily.

The newspaper ruled out the possibility of having a cabinet line-up ready by the end of February, saying Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s demands are crippling the government formation process despite efforts by some teams from the March 8 forces to facilitate Miqati’s task.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati is reportedly preparing two draft cabinet line-ups – one includes March 14 ministers along with the Hizbullah-led alliance and the other is only made up of March 8 figures.

Miqati visited President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday night and informed him about his consultations with the different parties on the formation of the cabinet.

Hizbullah has reportedly stepped in to try to soften Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun's demands for government formation.

Aoun has been insisting he wants the interior ministry in the new government to be formed by Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati.

Premier-designate Najib Miqati’s circles said speeches made on ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s sixth assassination anniversary had some positive signs that are “consistent with Miqati’s approach.”

The circles told An Nahar daily in remarks published Tuesday that the speeches of Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri, Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and former minister Mohammed Abdul Hamid Baidoun at the BIEL rally were consistent with Miqati’s “conviction on the need for dialogue and moderation.”

We are still with a tribunal that leads to unveiling the truth behind the murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri "instead of fabricating it," Speaker Nabih Berri said Sunday.

At a graduation ceremony for AMAL students, Berri added: "We had reached an agreement on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at the national dialogue table."

Ayman Zakaria Joumaa, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's son-in-law, on Saturday denied involvement in the Lebanese-Canadian Bank money laundering.

"I have nothing to do with Ayman Saeed Joumaa whose name was mentioned in the U.S. Treasury as being involved in money laundering," a statement by Ayman Zakaria Joumaa said.

A battle is raging over key portfolios in the new government -- most notably the interior, defense and justice ministries.

An-Nahar newspaper on Wednesday quoted sources following up on the issue of Cabinet formation as saying that Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati is seeking to create a one-sided, 24-strong government after the March 14 coalition announced it will not participate.