Prime Minister Tammam Salam met Monday with al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri as part of his endeavor to find a solution to the crisis crippling the work of his cabinet.

Media outlets said Hariri did not make any statement after leaving the Grand Serail meeting.

Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb criticized on Sunday endeavors that aim at appointing a new commander for the Lebanese army amid the presidential vacuum.

“We are prohibited from appointing a new army chief and impose it on any new head of state without him having a say in the decision,” Harb lamented in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.

Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq stressed on Saturday that the cabinet would reach a decision on the waste management file by January 17, the deadline for closing the Naameh landfill and the date when the contract with the company, which collects dumps in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, expires.

Al-Mashnouq told Ad-Diyar daily published on Saturday that the decision would not be reached over the weekend but definitely at the start of next week.

The cabinet approved Thursday a number of stalled decrees after resolving a dispute between Telecom Minister Butros Harb and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.

Decrees during this period require the signatures of all ministers since the government is acting in the absence of a president and has assumed presidential powers.

The cabinet will witness on Thursday a heated session over a dispute between Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb and the Free Patriotic Movement.

According to As Safir newspaper published on Tuesday, the FPM is threatening to abstain from signing all decrees if Harb didn't ink the decrees that are linked to ministries governed by the party.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is adamant on refusing to withdraw from the presidential elections race in favor of other candidates, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

He told the daily: “I had proposed in the past that I withdraw my candidacy in favor of others who have the minimum requirements to carry out political tasks.”

State-run Tele Liban broadcast its first 2014 World Cup match on Monday evening, although a deal reached between the government and beIN Sports' sole agent in Lebanon did not involve granting TL the rights to air the tournament.

Earlier in the day, Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb had announced that the Lebanese would be able starting Monday evening to watch the Brazil-hosted FIFA World Cup, which kicked off last week, without paying any additional fees.

Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb stated on Saturday that it is “unacceptable” that watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup be limited to people who can afford it.

He said via Twitter: “Contacts are underway with SAMA, the sole agent responsible for broadcasting the tournament, in order to reach a solution to the Lebanese people.”

Telecom Minister Butros Harb slammed on Monday the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Michel Aoun, considering him responsible for the ongoing presidential deadlock.

“Aoun refuses to engage in any electoral process if he wasn't 100% sure that he will be elected” as the new head of state, Harb said in comments published in the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday.

Telecom Minister and presidential hopeful Butros Harb announced Tuesday that state institutions cannot continue functioning amid the current presidential vacuum, following talks with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab.

“The March 14 forces have taken a unified decision and said that state institutions cannot continue their work in the absence of a president as if there is no problem in the country,” Harb said after the meeting.