Prime Minister Tammam Salam rejected claims that the Sunni community in Lebanon had created a climate that embraces terrorism and said that the right of veto exercised by cabinet ministers required a new approach.

“All the requirements for a security confrontation are now available and all the needs for a patriotic confrontation such as thwarting any attempt to saw strife have also been guaranteed,” Salam told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in an interview.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi expressed hope on Tuesday that a French presidential envoy would be able to resolve the Baabda Palace impasse.

Before traveling to Rome, al-Rahi hoped that Jean-François Girault, who is the director of the department of the Middle East and North Africa at the French Foreign Ministry, would “succeed in his mission.”

Chairman of Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Friday that Tehran was keen on Lebanon's stability and stressed it was up to the Lebanese rival factions to resolve the presidential impasse.

“The latest political developments in the region help consolidate stability in Lebanon,” said Boroujerdi following talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail.

Greek Orthodox leader Youhanna X Yazigi has stressed that the election of a new president in Lebanon would create stability and help the authorities confront the regional turmoil.

Yazigi, who is the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, expressed regret that Lebanese lawmakers have failed to elect a successor to President Michel Suleiman, whose term ended in May.

Speaker Nabih Berri postponed on Wednesday a parliamentary session to elect a new president to February 18 over lack of quorum.

The 18th session was adjourned over ongoing disagreements between the rival parties on the character of the presidential candidate.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has regretted that the government's work has been paralyzed since the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's term in May last year, saying his patience is not a sign that things are on the right track.

Salam told al-Akhbar newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday that his cabinet “temporarily” began exercising the president’s prerogatives until the election of a new head of state.

Director of the Department of the Middle East and North Africa at the French Foreign Ministry Jean-François Girault will visit Lebanon at the beginning of February to resume his initiative to resolve the ongoing presidential deadlock.

An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday that the French diplomat's visit aims at reviving his initiative and contacts with Lebanese officials.

Maronite Bishop Samir Mazloum stressed on Wednesday that Bkirki encourages dialogue between the rival Christian parties, expressing hope that talks among the arch-foes would lead to extensive results.

Mazloum denied in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper that any Christian party is boycotting Bkirki, pointing out that it “isn't standing with any side against another.”

Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin has said that the election of a new president requires the development of dialogue among the rival Christian parties.

The Lebanese should resolve the presidential deadlock by finding what they have in common, the diplomat told As Safir daily in remarks published on Monday.

Kataeb Party chief Amin Gemayel expressed relief on Saturday over the wave of dialogue between the Lebanese arch-foes, stressing the importance of electing a new head of state after the country “entered the red zone.”

“Our interest is to retain the Lebanese sovereignty, in particular the decision of war and peace, in addition to the swift election of a new head of state,” Gemayel said in an interview to al-Akhbar newspaper.