Eyes are turned to four Tripoli MPs whose decision on whether to name the March 8 or the March 14 nominee for the premiership would play an important role in deciding the fate of the government.

Former PM Najib Miqati, Minister Mohammed Safadi, Ahmed Karami and Qassem Abdelaziz are expected to meet on Saturday to announce their final stance from parliamentary consultations that will be held on Monday and Tuesday.

March 14 supporters are holding several meetings and conferences in Beirut and the northern port city of Tripoli in support of Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri.

More than 500 personalities, including doctors, engineers, lawyers and academics will hold a meeting at the Quality Inn Hotel in Tripoli.

Informed sources did not rule out a postponement in parliamentary consultations set for Monday and Tuesday over the division of votes for the new prime minister.

The sources told al-Liwaa daily in remarks published Saturday that votes could be divided between 64 in favor of Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri and another 64 in favor of former Premier Omar Karami, leading to the postponement of the binding consultations.

An agreement was reportedly made between the March 8 forces backed by Syria and Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblat for his bloc to give seven votes for the opposition’s nominee for the premier’s post, Omar Karami, amid efforts to guarantee a eighth MP.

An Nahar daily quoted March 14 forces as saying Saturday that Democratic Gathering MPs who are not members of Jumblat’s Progressive Socialist Party have informed him that they would nominate caretaker Premier Saad Hariri. They are: Mohammed al-Hajjar, Fouad al-Saad, Henri Helou, Marwan Hamadeh and Antoine Saad.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Friday that Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir’s submission of his resignation requires a “moment of contemplation that goes beyond the feelings of appreciation and respect for a career spanning a quarter of century.”

He said in a letter directed to the patriarch: “Throughout his career, he never hesitated in taking the position that falls in Lebanon’s interest and committing to principles that constitute Lebanese values.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said he was surprised by the “erroneous interpretations” of his remarks on the situation in Lebanon and stressed support for Lebanese legitimacy.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, al-Faisal denied that he had told al-Arabiya TV network there was a change in Saudi policy towards Lebanon.

Speaker Nabih Berri welcomed Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri’s speech and lauded the Mustaqbal movement leader’s decision to abide by the constitution and accept democratic results.

However, in remarks to An Nahar and As Safir dailies on Friday, Berri wondered why the March 14 forces severely criticized the March 8 alliance’s “constitutional” decision to resign from the government.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri confirmed on Thursday his candidacy for a new term, after Hizbullah and its allies prompted the collapse of his government last week.

"A constitutional process is under way and we will accept its results despite intimidation on the street and elsewhere," Hariri said in a televised address to the nation.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has stressed that Lebanon will not be able to "turn the page on political assassinations forever without achieving justice," noting that stability in Lebanon was "everyone's essential demand."

"Any party that wants to mess with it (stability) will have to confront several foes -- Lebanese, Arabs and others," Abul Gheit said in an interview with Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai to be published Friday.

Naharnet has learned that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat has informed concerned officials in the Mustqbal movement that he is being subject to great pressures against naming Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri as the premier of a new government, knowing that he had previously informed Hariri that he would be naming him.

Jumblat did not elaborate on the reasons for his new position.