The March 8 forces threw the ball in President Michel Suleiman’s court after Hizbullah mediated to solve the interior ministry portfolio deadlock by proposing several new names that could head the ministry.

March 8 sources told An Nahar daily in remarks published Wednesday that “Suleiman has no excuse to reject it (the new proposal) and the ball is now in the court of the president.”

President Michel Suleiman hoped on Tuesday that stability would be completely restored in Syrian regions that witnessed protests recently in order that the reforms pledged by Syrian President Bashar Assad would be implemented.

He warned after holding talks with the Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali of the dangers of sectarian incitement in the Arab country being launched under the guise of demanding reform.

The latest stance of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat drew mixed reactions but the bluntest attack came from the Free Patriotic Movement which urged him to give up his demands in the new cabinet.

“If Walid Jumblat was so disdainful, then let him give up the public works ministry first and withdraw his unprecedented demands,” FPM circles told As Safir daily in remarks published Tuesday.

Reports about the possible formation of a 14-member technocrat government began making the rounds again as a way to end the cabinet impasse with the least possible damage.

Al-Liwaa daily said Tuesday that Premier-designate Najib Miqati could resort to such an option after contacts aimed at ending the deadlock on the interior ministry portfolio did not lead to positive results.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday called for forming a technocrat cabinet, describing that as “the only solution to rescue the country from the current impasse.”

“A national unity cabinet is out of the question because we can’t reach an agreement on the major issues,” Geagea added in an interview with MTV.

President Michel Suleiman held talks on Monday with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on the government formation process and local developments.

The MP left the meeting without issuing a statement.

Syria and Iran will turn Lebanon into a second Gaza, feared Mustaqbal movement leader Saad Hariri on May 15, 2008, revealed a leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in al-Akhbar newspaper on Monday.

He made his statements during a meeting with then U.S. Charge d’Affaires Michele Sison in the aftermath of Hizbullah’s May 7, 2008, takeover of Beirut, said the WikiLeaks cable.

French Interior Minister Claude Gueant has said that Paris should congratulate itself for helping Lebanon and Syria establish diplomatic relations.

In an interview published by As Safir daily on Monday, Gueant said: “You know that France is attached to Lebanon for historical reasons. Talks (by France) with Damascus helped the formation of a Lebanese government and the election of a president.”

Officials involved in the formation of the new government are mulling new names to head the interior ministry after President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun failed to agree on who would name the minister.

High-ranking March 8 sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday that some parties suggested naming Ghaleb Ghanem, the former head of the Higher Judicial Council, as interior minister given that he is Maronite and a neutral personality.

Bkirki is scheduled to hold an Islamic-Christian spiritual summit on Thursday, the first of its kind since the election of Beshara al-Rahi as patriarch of the Maronite church, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday.

The governmental crisis in Lebanon and the turbulent situation in the region are set to be the main issues of discussion at the meeting, it added.