British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher on Sunday held talks with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Paris, the embassy announced.

“Fletcher passed on Britain's condolences following the assassination of (ex-minister) Mohammed Shatah, a huge loss to Lebanon,” said the embassy in a statement.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the French capital Paris, where the latter was holding preparatory meetings for the Geneva 2 Syria peace conference.

According to a statement issued by Hariri's office, the meeting was also attended by Russian Deputy FM Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Foreign Ministry director of Mideast dept. Sergey Vershinin and the ex-PM's advisers Nader Hariri and George Shaaban.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Saturday that he will attend the opening session of the trial of the alleged killers of his father, late premier Rafik Hariri, on January 16 in The Hague.

“Hariri will head a March 14 delegation to attend the opening session of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” radio Voice of Lebanon (93.3) reported on Saturday afternoon.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said Saturday that the March 14 alliance hasn't yet decided whether it would participate in a 24-member national unity government.

In remarks to al-Jadeed TV, Geagea said: “We haven't yet decided on our participation in an 8-8-8 cabinet.”

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora visited on Saturday President Michel Suleiman, who urged all parties to make concessions to form a government that wins parliament's vote of confidence.

Saniora's press office said after his talks with Suleiman at Baabda Palace that the meeting was “serious” and “honest.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri reportedly gave on Friday his approval on a cabinet based on the 8-8-8 lineup, as President Michel Suleiman stated he will form a government if no consensus was reached between the political foes.

"A meeting held between (caretaker Social Affairs Minister) Wael Abu Faour and (head of Hariri's office) Nader Hariri has ended a while ago and the former PM accepted the 8-8-8 cabinet formula,” LBCI television reported on Friday evening.

The March 8 alliance was waiting for the final go ahead of al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on a cabinet proposal as the party sought answers on several questions, including the policy statement.

An Nahar daily quoted informed sources as saying on Thursday that the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp, which has accepted an 8-8-8 government formula, was waiting for Hariri's answer, whose movement is a member of the March 14 alliance.

President Michel Suleiman agreed on Tuesday to give a chance to discuss the 8-8-8 cabinet lineup but did not commit to ruling out forming a neutral council of ministers.

Suleiman's stances came in a meeting with the adviser of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hussein Khalil, and Caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who's the political adviser to Speaker Nabih Berri.

French President Francois Hollande held talks with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday evening.

Hariri published a picture of him and Hollande on his Twitter page.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Sunday welcomed President Michel Suleiman's announcement that Saudi Arabia will give three billion dollars to the Lebanese army, describing the move as “a step towards transiting to a real state” whose army “is not rivaled by any other army.”

“In his address to the Lebanese, President Michel Suleiman announced an extraordinary step towards transiting to a real state whose authority is not challenged by any other authority, whose army is not rivaled by any other party, and whose constitution is not breached by any other constitution,” Hariri said in a statement.