Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed on Saturday that the rival parties will not reach common ground over the new electoral law, describing the Orthodox Gathering proposal as the draft-law that achieves better representation during the polls.'

“We are heading to vote on the Orthodox law at the parliament,” Franjieh said after holding talks with Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan.

Head of the Lebanese Democratic Party MP Talal Arslan voiced on Thursday his support of Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat's initiative aimed at persuading various political powers to return to the national dialogue.

He said: “The balanced and national position expressed by Jumblat is aimed at breaking the deadlock between the Lebanese factions through dialogue as there can be no substitute to the all-party talks.”

Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan warned on Saturday from the negative impacts of the developments in Syria on the local situation, calling on officials to abide by the disassociation policy that was adopted by the government.

“We are not abiding by the disassociation policy... Our border (with Syria) isn't under the state's control and the arms are being smuggled into Syria,” Arslan told reporters in a press conference.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan urged Lebanese officials on Friday to adopt proportional representation, saying the 1960 electoral law based on a winner-takes-all system leads to strife.

“The 1960 law is a law of strife. It keeps the Lebanese people under hegemony,” Arslan said at a press conference he held at his residence in Khalde.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan called on Sunday for the amendment of the Constitution after saying that the Taef Accord collapsed following the withdrawal of the Syrian “guardian.”

Since the adoption of the Taef agreement in 1989, Lebanon has been witnessing a "political system crisis," Arslan told An Nahar newspaper in an interview.

Speaker Nabih Berri is seeking to ease the differences between the various Lebanese powers over the new parliamentary electoral law, reported An Nahar daily on Monday.

Information obtained by the daily revealed that the speaker, through Hizbullah's backing, had held separate talks with Mustaqbal bloc head MP Fouad Saniora, National Struggle Front ministers, and Phalange Party MP Sami Gemayel to that end.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan called on Saturday for a referendum on the army’s role in Lebanon following severe criticism by the March 14 opposition.

The exceptional referendum should be “on the preservation of the army as the defender of the nation and the citizens” and should lead to a “positive shock,” Arslan said in a press conference.

Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi was on Monday tasked with preparing a draft-law on the extra-budgetary spending made by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri in 2006-2010, drawing the ire of the March 14 opposition which is demanding a comprehensive solution that would also include the adoption of a $5.9 billion 2011 spending bill.

After a meeting held at the parliament by Speaker Nabih Berri, PM Najib Miqati, and MPs Michel Aoun, Suleiman Franjieh, Mohammed Raad and Talal Arslan, Safadi was asked to prepare the draft-law for approval by the cabinet, which will later refer it to parliament.

The official resignation of Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas on Wednesday was accompanied by signs of a political settlement reached between the top leaders that would witness a March 14 support for a draft law on the transportation allowance in return for a drop of March 8 majority demands to see records of billions of dollars spent by the governments of former Premiers Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri.

President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati accepted the resignation of Nahhas who had been refusing to sign a transportation allowance decree linked with a wage hike made by the cabinet.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan accused President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Tuesday of obstructing the work of the cabinet by keeping sessions suspended.

“Under no circumstances is it acceptable to suspend cabinet sessions, particularly at this critical stage in the region,” Arslan, who is allied with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, said in a statement.