President Michel Aoun announced Sunday that the vacancies in state institutions will soon be filled with “competent” civil servants.

Speaker Nabih Berri called the parliament on Saturday to convene next week in order to discuss the government policy statement, the National News Agency reported.

Berri called the lawmakers for meetings over three consecutive days starting Tuesday through Thursday where the meetings will begin at 11:00 a.m.

The cabinet held a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Saturday and approved a draft of the government's policy statement amid reservations expressed by Lebanese Forces ministers on the “role of the resistance” clause, the National News Agency said.

The cabinet approved the statement but the LF and State Minister Michel Pharaon expressed reservations as for the clause on the “role of the resistance,” NNA added.

Minister of Social Affairs Pierre Bou Assi stressed on Saturday that some issues in the government's policy statement require more discussions, as he assured that the LF is seeking a hybrid election law in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the National News Agency reported.

“There are still some pending issues in the ministerial statement which require more discussions and positions,” NNA quoted Bou Assi in an interview to Free Lebanon radio.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi raised prayers on Saturday for the new presidential term under President Michel Aoun to be able to confront the challenges in the country mainly achieving national reconciliation among the different political parties and devising a new electoral law that ensures balanced representation.

“We pray that the new presidential term is capable of confronting the challenges mainly the achievement of national reconciliation and an electoral law that guarantees proper representation,” said al-Rahi in his Christmas message.

The Lebanese Forces has “strongly rejected" a clause in the government's policy statement related to the “role of the Resistance” and has therefore demanded a replacement and for some time to study the policy before the cabinet convenes, al-Joumhouria daily reported Saturday.

“The Lebanese Forces has strongly disapproved a clause in the policy statement that read the “right of the people for resistance,” asking for replacing it with a clause that reads “right of the Lebanese State for resistance,”” LF source told the daily.

A ministerial committee tasked with drafting the new government's policy statement finalized the draft on Friday evening after a second meeting at the Grand Serail, Prime Minister Saad Hariri's office said.

General Jean-Pierre Bosser, the Chief of Staff of the French Army, held separate talks Friday in Lebanon with the new defense minister, Yaaqoub al-Sarraf, and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji.

President Michel Aoun held talks Friday with visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Jaber Ansari.

Twenty kilograms of heroin were seized on Friday at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, state-run National News Agency reported.