Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Friday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in the Italian capital Rome, in a meeting that focused on the issue of the upcoming presidential election.

"We will seek to hold the presidential election on time," Hariri said after the meeting.

"The March 14 forces will nominate one candidate for the presidential elections," he added.

The meeting was held at the Maronite College in Rome and Hariri was accompanied by MPs Samir al-Jisr and Atef Majdalani, ex-MPs Bassem al-Sabaa and Ghattas Khoury, and his advisers Nader Hariri and Daoud al-Sayegh, the ex-PM's office said in a statement.

The talks were followed by a closed-door meeting between Hariri and al-Rahi before discussions were resumed over dinner in the presence of the delegation members, the statement added. [Link]