A delegation from al-Mustaqbal movement headed to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia for consultations with head of the movement former premier Saad Hariri.

The delegation will discuss with Hariri the latest developments and the stance from a possible cabinet session on Thursday, An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday.

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour stressed on Sunday the presidential poll is the “hostage” of personal and political disputes, hailing efforts exerted by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat to narrow the differences between the political arch-foes through dialogue.

“Jumblat is seeking consensus (among the rivals), as holding onto the same presidential candidate will only inflict further division and the presidential vacancy is doomed to go on,” Abou Faour, who is the aide of the PSP chief, said.

A meeting was held between officials from the Mustaqbal and the AMAL movements regarding the payment of salaries of civil servants, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday.

Sources said that a “preliminary” agreement was reached between the two sides.

The cabinet met on Thursday to discuss thorny issues, including the controversial employment of Lebanese University’s contract workers and the appointment of deans.

The government however chose to postpone tackling the LU file after the ministers of the Progressive Socialist Party, of MP Walid Jumblat, insisted on the appointment of a Christian official in the post of dean of the medical school.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed on Wednesday that Lebanon cannot have a confrontational presidential nominee, urging an agreement on a consensual candidate to end the deadlock in the country's top post.

"I don't see an end to the (presidential) crisis because both nominees are confrontational. They have to understand that neither of them can be a confrontational candidate,” Jumblat said in an interview on Al-Jazeera television on Wednesday evening.

Dialogue between AMAL and al-Mustaqbal movements, which has kicked off following an initiative from Druze leader Walid Jumblat, did not tackle the issue of extending the parliament's term but rather Sunni-Shiite ties and the cabinet's work.

"The meeting between Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil (of AMAL) and Nader Hariri, head of ex-PM Saad Hariri's office, did not tackle the issue of extending parliament's term," Future TV quoted informed sources as saying.

Political powers are leaning towards holding a legislative session to tackle the payment of salaries of civil servants, reported LBCI television on Wednesday.

Speaker Nabih Berri contacted to that end head of the Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblat and Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan, it added.

Lebanon's presidential crisis has already spilled over into parliament, which has failed to hold legislative sessions, but is now threatening to extend its term for a second time despite Speaker Nabih Berri's rejection.

Berri said in remarks published in several newspapers on Wednesday that the parliamentary polls should be held based on the current law if lawmakers failed to agree on a new draft-law.

Officials involved in the negotiations on the presidential deadlock have discussed several options, including a deal on a compromise Maronite candidate, to resolve the crisis, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The daily said that the officials could demand Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to pressure the current candidates to withdraw their nominations.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat noted on Monday that the dispute over the presidential elections has become linked to regional developments, meaning that officials are better off addressing the concerns of the people until they can settle their differences.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website: “Officials must cater to the people's daily concerns before turning to the elections charade.”