"The president and I are determined to meet again and finish this issue, because the country cannot continue without a government," Hariri said. He called for political factions in the multi-confessional country to cooperate on reviving the political process.
Lebanon is governed by a complex system that guarantees a delicate balance between religious communities and their political parties, so decisions are made by consensus, making for protracted bargaining. The country's parliamentary elections in May were the first for nine years but lawmakers have since failed to form a government.
In mid-November, Hariri accused his main political rival - the Shia movement Hezbollah - of obstructing the formation of a new cabinet. A month later, he promised that Lebanon would have a government "by the end of the year".