The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and North Africa Mikhail Bogdanov received yesterday in Moscow the personal representative of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, Georges Shaaban, Hariri’s media office said Thursday.

The Lebanese Forces party said the formation of the Cabinet has been delayed because of “domestic obstacles,” noting that quests to include a clause in the ministerial statement calling for naturalization of ties with Syria was what prompted Hariri to raise the "red card," the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Thursday.

Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi on Wednesday voiced calls on Lebanese politicians to “center attention on public interest” in order to ease the obstacles hampering the government formation.

The Turkish Embassy in Beirut issued a statement on Wednesday expressing appreciation for support campaign launched by the Lebanese people, as Turkey faces new “economic attacks” from the United States.

Lebanon is expected to receive Brazilian President Michel Temer, the Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs Hussein Kalout told President Michel Aoun on Tuesday.

The Druze representation in the new government, one of the obstacles hampering the formation, “could have been eased” if Druze MP Talal Arslan had accepted a “secretive” formula suggested by Speaker Nabih Berri, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

Well-informed sources told the newspaper that contacts have lately “accelerated between Berri and Druze parties” in a bid to find common ground regarding their representation and ministerial seats, but the efforts have “failed” though.

The Lebanese Forces blamed Foreign Minister, Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil for the "entire" obstacles hampering the government formation, mainly the Christian and Druze representation stalemate, al-Joumhouria daily reported.

LF sources told the daily: “It is normal to focus at the current stage on an expected meeting between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Bassil because the actual stalemate lies with Bassil.

Tens of Syrian refugees in the border villages of Shebaa and al-Arqoub started crossing the border from Lebanon on Monday, the latest group to return to Syria from its western neighbor, the National News Agency reported on Monday.

Lebanese officials and security leaders “agree to disagree” with resorting to street protests in a bid to solve the hurdle hampering the formation of the government out of “fear things spin out of control,” the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Monday.

Speaker Nabih Berri welcomed on Saturday in his Ain el-Tineh residence caretaker Minister of Information Melhem Riachi, the state-run National News Agency reported.