NNA - Former PM Najib Mikati said that the Lebanese constitution, which emanates from the Taif Accord, stipulates that the process of forming the government be carried out in exclusive coordination between the Prime Minister-designaand the President of te the Republic. "So, there cannot be any interference in this process."

"Given the  fact that every political party's right to request participation in the government, especially if it were a national unity government, no one should, however, dictate terms on the PM-designate under the slogan of quotas and shares for this or that party," he told his visitors.

"We are neither in a ruling crisis nor in a regime crisis. What we are witnessing today are attempts to circumvent the Constitution and the Taif agreement, under different connotations," Mikati said, stressing the need to return back to the basis, thus “to the Taif Agreement which remains the one stable solution to the problems we are suffering."

In response to a question on the economic and monetary situations, he said: "There must be a distinction, in this framework, between the monetary situation and the problems related to the budget. First of all, there is no monetary problem, especially as the monetary action is part of a long-term program adopted by the Central Bank so as to preserve the monetary situation and Lebanon's reputation and credibility abroad."

"The real problem that Lebanon suffers is its budget, its accumulated deficit, its fiscal policy, and its inefficient financial spending. It is the duty of all politicians to cooperate so as to put an end to these problems, stop useless expenditures, and adopt serious accountability measures," the former PM argued.

It is not too late to start addressing the economic reality, especially if we genuinely let reform come before interests," he assured.

Separately, Mikati welcomed at his residence in Tripoli the United Arab Emirates Ambassador, Hamad Al-Shamsi, who said that "the visit is a friendly one to the brUnitedother and friend of UAE, PM Mikati with whom communication channels are constantly open."

"We wish Lebanon success and the formation of a government in the near future. This visit falls within the activities organized by the UAE Embassy at the Safadi Complex, where there are sports competitions taking place. Our aim, in this context, is to keep the younger generation aloof from extremism ideologies. These activities will extend to the year 2019," the diplomat said.

NNA - Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Yaacoub, paid a protocol visit to former Prime Minister Najib Mikati at his Beirut residence on Monday.

Welcoming the newly-appointed diplomat, Mikati hoped the upcoming stage would witness further steps to bolster the relations with Saudi Arabia.

"Relations between our countries are the result of a history that is full with agreement and mutual respect and trust," Mikati said.

"Within this context, we warn of the peril of positions harming Lebanon and its historic ties with the Arab brothers, on top of whom the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he added.

"We must all work in order to protect Lebanon and keep it away from what it has no capacity to bear," he stressed.

For his part, the Ambassador said, "Unfortunately, there are sides in Lebanon that do not want the ties with the Kingdom to be good. They are vehemently working on harming those relations. But we count on the wisdom of the Lebanese to solve this problem."

NNA - Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed Sunday that "vacuum in the government presidency is not permissible," adding that his nomination for heading the cabinet is currently out of the question.

Mikati's words came following his meeting with Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, at Dar El-Fatwa this morning.

"I discussed with the Mufti ways to overcome the crisis in the country, deliberating at both the national and Sunni community levels," he added.

"We emphasized firm commitment to the Taef Agreement and the entire Constitution, without any trampling on the Constitution which preserves balances within the State and the roles of all components of the country," Mikati added.

Noting that he stressed to Mufti Derian the need to preserve the unity of the Sunni community in Lebanon, Mikati called on all parties to curb the verbal escalation, since the difficult situation requires Lebanese unity and safeguarding of the State.

In response to a question, Mikati disclosed that his candidacy for the presidency of the government was out of question at the moment, stating his intention to run in the next legislative elections in Tripoli.

"We will not allow any form of vacuum at the level of the government premiership. Lebanon is a country of balances and we must work so that the appropriate figure takes over this post, as agreed upon under the rooftop of Dar El-Fatwa," concluded Mikati.

NNA - Former Prime Minister, MP Najib Mikati, welcomed at his office on Tuesday Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Nazih Al-Najjari. Talks between both men reportedly touched on the best means to boost Lebanese-Egyptian bilateral ties, as well as the most recent developments at the regional scene.

During his inauguration of the opening ceremony of the "International Conference on Scientific Research and its Role in Sustainable Development Societies" in Tripoli, Mikati gave a briefing on the parliament session discussions.

"The state is in need of additional financial resources, not only to fund the salary scale, but also to pay off the budget deficit," Mikati said.

He also added that he had reservations on the taxes imposed by the state, especially that they're void of a clear vision for the future.