Finance Ministry Director General Alain Bifani on Wednesday accused ex-PM Fouad Saniora, without naming him, of seeking to prevent the auditing of the state's financial transactions during his term as finance minister.

“I faced huge political insistence against the financial auditing,” Bifani said at a press conference.

German Deputy Foreign Minister Niels Annen held separate talks Wednesday with President Michel Aoun and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil during a visit to Lebanon.

Aoun told the visiting official that Lebanon has kickstarted reforms and that it is committed to the CEDRE Conference recommendations.

Since the government formation Lebanon witnesses international mobility the latest is German Deputy Foreign Minister Niels Annen who arrived in Beirut late on Tuesday on a two-day official visit, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

Lebanon’s parliament will hold three legislative sessions this week the first is to be held on Thursday and dedicated to electing members of the Supreme council to try presidents and ministers, media reports said.

Al-Liwaa daily said that a number of draft laws will be discussed, including a draft law on lifting bank secrecy signed by ten deputies of the Strong Lebanon bloc.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday threw its support behind ex-PM Fouad Saniora in the ongoing controversy over corruption.

Lauding “the financial, administrative and political presentation that ex-PM Fouad Saniora made during his press conference,” the bloc called for “dealing with its numbers and facts away from overbidding and the known alignments.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat announced Tuesday that he supports a “methodical battle against corruption” and not “a return to the March 8 and 14 calculations,” in reference to Lebanon's rival political camps.

Asked about the corruption-related war of words between MP Hassan Fadlallah of Hizbullah and ex-PM Fouad Saniora and other al-Mustaqbal Movement officials, Jumblat told reporters that he is “against such attacks ex-PM Fouad Saniora.”

MP Bilal Abdullah on Tuesday stressed the need to tighten security along Lebanon’s porous border with Syria in light of commercial smuggling of commodities after reports that low-grade Iranian iron has been smuggled into the Lebanese market.

“Controlling the Lebanese-Syrian border is no longer a political issue, it has become an urgent economic necessity for both countries because the smuggling mafia is active in both directions incurring heavy losses on both treasuries,” said Abdullah in a tweet on Tuesday.

A top U.S. State Department official visiting Lebanon said Tuesday that the new government in Beirut needs to make tough decisions as it tackles widespread corruption and a crumbling economy, in addition to ongoing security issues.

David Satterfield, acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, said Washington is looking to support the Lebanese people as they move their country forward, but warned against increased Iranian influence.

A delegation from the Democratic Gathering held talks Monday with Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail.

The delegation comprised Industry Minister Wael Abu Faour and the MPs Bilal Abdullah and Hadi Abu al-Hosn and a number of advisers and the meeting was held in the presence of former Minister Ghattas Khoury.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday said the parties represented in the government should prove that they are “serious” about combating corruption.

“The first chapter of the work of the government was not encouraging,” Geagea said, referring to Cabinet's latest session.