Beirut - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem is due to attend the session of parliament in Lebanon at which army commander Michel Suleiman is to be elected president on Sunday, a source close to House Speaker Nabih Berri said Friday.

Lebanon's ties with Syria soured after the assassination in 2005 of former premier Rafik Hariri. Syria has been widely blamed for the assassination, a charge it vehemently denies.

The international and local outcry against Syria following the Hariri killing prompted Damascus to end its 30-year military presence in Lebanon, and in so doing, ending its influence on the political life in the country.

The election is likely to turn into a festival as huge numbers of Arab and international personalities are expected to attend the session on Sunday afternoon.

Qatar's Emir Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani is to deliver a speech after Suleiman is sworn in. The foreign ministers of France, Spain and Italy are also expected to attend the session.

Well-informed sources said Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would also travel to Lebanon, while unconfirmed reports said French President Nicolas Sarkozy was considering visiting Beirut next week to meet Suleiman and other Lebanese leaders.

In an unprecedented move, the parliamentary session will be divided into three parts, meaning it could last several hours.

The first part will be devoted to Suleiman's election, the second will see him take his oath of office and include the Qatar Emir's speech. The third part will settle the issue of amending a clause in the electoral law that deals with division of constituencies.

Parliament Speaker Berri has invited the cabinet of Premier Foaud Seniora to attend the session after the new president has taken his oath.

Following his election, Suleiman is expected to start consultations with the different parliamentary blocs in a bid to name Lebanon's new prime minister, who in turn, will hold his own consultations with the same blocs in order to form the next cabinet.

Former president Amin Gemayel has said the ruling March 14 coalition backs Hariri as new prime minister.

According to the deal brokered by Arab mediators in Qatar, the new cabinet will be set up such as the majority gets 16 ministers, the opposition 11 and three to be chosen by the President.

The opposition's ministers will likely be distributed between Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and General Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement. (dpa)