AFP - Lebanese prime minister-designate Saad Hariri, who has been striving to form a government since late June, said on Friday he was hopeful a cabinet would see the light "soon" despite lingering differences with his political rivals.

"The atmosphere is positive. I do not want to set a date, but I can say that, God willing, the government will be formed soon," Hariri said after meeting President Michel Sleiman.

"And it will be a government of national unity," he added.

Since late June, parliamentary majority leader Hariri has failed to form a government and bridge differences between his own bloc and the opposition, led by Syrian- and Iranian-backed Shiite party Hezbollah.

The Hezbollah-led alliance accuses the majority of trying to rule unilaterally, while the Hariri camp slams the opposition for trying to impose its conditions on the majority.

"We encounter problems sometimes," Hariri told reporters about negotiations with his political rivals, adding however that he will pursue the dialogue until consensus is reached.

One of the major points of contention has been the inability to agree on the distribution of portfolios and choice of ministers.

The stalemate has been also widely blamed on tension between the two camps' regional backers, but powerhouses Syria and Saudi Arabia buried the hatchet at a meeting earlier this month and jointly called for a unity government.

Hariri, son of slain billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, stepped down from the post in September but was reappointed less than a week later.