Date: Nov 12, 2018 Source: The Daily Star Lebanon: Parliament session starts after Berri, Hariri meet BEIRUT: Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri met Monday ahead of a morning legislative session of Parliament, during which MPs are set to discuss and endorse a raft of draft laws. Berri is expected to also meet with caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on the session’s sidelines. The two will likely discuss the government formation process, primarily the most recent obstacle -- that regarding the representation of so-called independent Sunni MPs from outside the Future Movement. “We have a lot of ideas that will be discussed today with Speaker Nabih Berri on the sidelines of the session,” Bassil said before the session, according to the state-run National News Agency. Bassil, for his part before the session started, headed a meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc, which he leads, local media reported. Parliament’s regular session began in the third week of October and will last until the end of December, though politicians have been divided over whether Parliament should convene to legislate before the government is formed. Government formation has been deadlocked since May, with the latest obstacle being the representation of the "independent" Sunni MPs. Hariri is expected to deliver a news conference Tuesday to provide updates on the government formation, now in its sixth month of deadlock.