President Michel Suleiman announced on Saturday that he will not discuss the government formation process during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

It said that the president is seeking to distance Saudi Arabia from local Lebanese disputes by refusing to tackle this file.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Saturday that talks are ongoing to determine the correct reference over the tasks that should be carried out by a caretaker cabinet.

“Any dispute is only over the right way to achieve the public interest,” Miqati told reporters after talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.

President Michel Suleiman honored Lebanese-French author Amin Maalouf at a ceremony held at Baabda Palace on Saturday.

Suleiman granted him the National Order of the Cedar medal with the Rank of Grand Cordon, and said a new stamp emblazoned with Maalouf's face will be issued soon.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea called on Saturday for reviving the nation's constitutional institutions, mainly the presidency, to hold effective elections next year.

Geagea called for holding “effective” presidential elections when President Michel Suleiman's six-year mandate ends in May next year.

President Michel Suleiman revealed on Saturday that he would meet with al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri during his visit to Saudi Arabia early next week.

Suleiman, who travels to Riyadh on a one-day official visit on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with King Abdullah.

President Michel Suleiman said his scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia next week would be beneficial for Lebanon and would consolidate relations between the two countries.

In remarks to al-Liwaa daily published on Friday, Suleiman stressed “the importance of having contacts with the Saudi leadership at this stage.”

President Michel Suleiman on Thursday called for an end to the paralysis of constitutional institutions and said the country's capabilities should be put in a single strategy to defend Lebanon.

During a ceremony at Baabda Palace to launch a plan to eradicate child labor, Suleiman said: “We want responsible constitutional institutions and leaders who consider the nation's interest as their priority.”

President Michel Suleiman is expected to head to Saudi Arabia on Monday to hold talks with King Abdullah and senior officials

According to As Safir newspaper published on Thursday, the President will tackle with Saudi officials the latest developments locally, in Syria and the region, in addition to the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam said Wednesday that had a decision to give up his task to form the new government served the nation, he would have taken the move.

“Everyone knows that in my political career I haven't been after posts,” Salam told reporters at Baabda Palace following talks with President Michel Suleiman.

Baabda Palace has informed Kuwait that President Michel Suleiman would attend the Arab-African Summit this month, al-Joumhouria daily said Wednesday amid a report that his visit to Saudi Arabia is imminent.

Baabda sources told al-Joumhouria that during the summit, which will be held in Kuwait on November 19-20, Suleiman will call for the payment of funds that Arab countries had pledged during a donors' conference on Syria last January.