President Michel Suleiman and al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri held talks in Paris on Wednesday night, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported.

The newspaper said Thursday that the meeting was held on the sidelines of a dinner banquet thrown by deputy Speaker Farid Makari in honor of Suleiman and the delegation that accompanied him to the International Support Group for Lebanon meet.

President Michel Suleiman hoped on Wednesday that the international community will commit to pledges it had made towards Lebanon concerning tackling the Syrian refugees and assisting the Lebanese army.

He said: “We hope the international community will support the army to help it implement a defense strategy that I had proposed at the national dialogue.”

Maronite bishops regretted on Wednesday Hizbullah's campaign against President Michel Suleiman and condemned the "assault on his dignity" as the symbol of the nation's unity.

Following its monthly meeting under Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki, the council of Maronite bishops “urged all parties to stop the campaign against the president … out of respect for the nation.”

Bkirki is seeking to strike a deal between the top four Maronite politicians in the country on the presidential elections but it is shying away from naming its candidate for the top post, An Nahar daily reported on Wednesday.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is keen on avoiding a vacuum at Baabda Palace after President Michel Suleiman rejected an extension and stressed that he would leave his post at the end of his term on May 4, it said.

The Free Patriotic Movement is exerting efforts to restore ties between President Michel Suleiman and Hizbullah after a dispute over the President's latest statement.

According to al-Liwaa newspaper published on Wednesday, the FPM tasked Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil with resolving the dispute.

Negotiations between Lebanon and France over an arms deal reached a settlement after difficult discussions concerning the prices, which exceeded what was expected, local newspapers reported on Tuesday.

“French authorities placed tough financial conditions and prices for the arms beyond the expectation,” a source said in comments published in As Safir.

President Michel Suleiman traveled on Tuesday to the French capital Paris at the head of a delegation to attend the meeting of the French-sponsored International Support Group for Lebanon Wednesday.

“Lebanon prepared a comprehensive file based on an assessment by the World Bank,” Minister of Social Affairs Rashid Derbas said in comments published on Tuesday in al-Joumhouria newspaper.

The committee drafting the ministerial policy statement on Monday failed again to reach an agreement over the controversial clause related to resistance against Israel, adjourning its discussions to Friday.

In light of the continued deadlock, President Michel Suleiman will have to attend the meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon in Paris on Wednesday while representing a government that does not have a policy statement, something he was trying to avoid.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed Monday that it is “unavoidable” to reconcile between the Baabda Declaration and the right to resist Israel in the ministerial policy statement, urging an end to futile debates in this regard.

“Lebanon does not need more hot and cold wars and it is unavoidable to reconcile between the various proposals over the Baabda Declaration – which, to remind, was endorsed unanimously – and Lebanon's right to protect its border and resist any possible Israeli aggression,” Jumblat said in his weekly editorial in al-Anbaa online newspaper.

Lebanese Forces MP Strida Geagea said Monday that she received threats on her mobile, calling on security agencies to pursue the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Geagea “received a series of phone calls issuing different threats against her on Sunday and today (Monday),” her press office said in a statement.