Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri informed French President Francois Hollande that the March 14 opposition alliance holds onto its decision to call for the formation of a neutral government to salvage Lebanon, An Nahar daily reported on Sunday, as the ex-PM attended a lunch banquet in honor of the French leader in Jeddah.

The newspaper quoted French sources as saying that Hariri sent a letter to Hollande on the eve of his short visit to Beirut on Sunday.

Former prime minister Saad Hariri on Thursday telephoned Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat “in line with President Michel Suleiman’s wish to keep dialogue channels open among the Lebanese parties,” the PSP’s media department said in a statement.

“The conversation was friendly and warm and tackled the current political developments,” said the statement.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Tuesday visited Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat at the al-Mukhtara Palace.

The one-hour meeting tackled the latest developments in the country, state-run National News Agency reported.

Speaker Nabih Berri has maintained his contacts with members of the March 14 camp despite the dispute with its rival March 8 camp, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.

It noted that the speaker received on Saturday a telephone call from former Primer Minister Saad Hariri on the occasion of Eid al-Adha during which the two officials discussed the latest developments in Lebanon.

Efforts are underway in order to bridge the differences between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat in light of the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau head Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

It revealed that President Michel Suleiman contacted the two officials in order to ease the dispute between them.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat lashed out at former Prime Minister Saad Hariri over his insistence to topple the cabinet of Prime Minister Najib Miqati in light of the absence of another one to substitute it, the Saudi Okaz daily reported Saturday.

“Jumblat lashed out at Hariri because al-Mustaqbal movement insists on overthrowing the current cabinet although there is no substitute for it,” unnamed sources told the daily.

Mustaqbal bloc MP Nouhad al-Mashnouq revealed that his latest talks with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri were aimed at agreeing on the March 14 camp's next line of action in the wake of the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan, reported An Nahar daily on Friday.

He told the daily that a new government should be comprised of “technocrats, whose political agenda should be based on the Baabda Declaration.”

Former prime minister Saad Hariri on Thursday hit back at Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, describing slain Intelligence Bureau chief Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan as “the martyr of Lebanon” and slamming the Druze leader for refusing to resign from government.

“Walid Jumblat is quoting me as saying that Wissam al-Hasan is the martyr of the Sunni sect. This is untrue and his ally (PM Najib) Miqati is the one who said that. Wissam al-Hasan is the martyr of Lebanon,” said Hariri on the social networking website Twitter during Jumblat's live interview on LBCI television.

Former prime minister Saad Hariri on Thursday expressed his grief and pain “because Eid al-Adha coincides this year with the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hasan, who sacrificed his life to maintain the security of the Lebanese and their stability, and foil the plans of the enemies of Lebanon to ignite sectarian discord.”

“This terrorist crime, that also killed innocent victims and destroyed the houses and properties of many citizens in Ashrafiyeh, has deprived the Lebanese people of the usual joy of Eid and brought them back to the atmosphere of anxiety, fear of security risks and return of the specter of political assassinations that Lebanon witnessed before," said Hariri in a statement issued on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

Differences emerged to the surface on Thursday among the parties affiliated in the March 14 opposition as the leadership of the Phalange party insists that boycotting the national dialogue table will lead to a deadlock in the country, local newspapers reported.

According to An Nahar newspaper, Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel backs the efforts exerted by President Michel Suleiman to push forward the date of the all-party talks, which is expected to resume on November 12.