Rival Lebanese factions begin reconciliation talks

Dialogue could lead to integration of Hizbullah's weapons into the Lebanese army.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
qatar lebanon conf 224 (photo credit: AP)
qatar lebanon conf 224
(photo credit: AP)
Lebanon's rival factions agreed Tuesday to work toward a national defense strategy that could eventually integrate Hizbullah's weapons into the army, one of the most divisive issues wracking the tiny nation's politics. Leaders of 14 political factions met at the presidential palace for the talks headed by President Michel Suleiman that last for three hours before they were adjourned until Nov. 5. The dialogue is part of a peace deal reached in Qatar in May that ended sectarian clashes and defused a long running political crisis. The statement, released by Suleiman's office, said participants have agreed to discuss the defense strategy in order "to reach a joint vision" regarding it. It also said participants will work on easing tension throughout the country and avoid political provocations in their respective media outlets. In the intervening period before the next session, Suleiman will hold individual talks with the various factions and urge them have their own bilateral meetings to ensure the dialogue is a success. As the talks were going on, shooting occurred in the eastern Bekaa Valley during the funeral of a man killed overnight in sectarian fighting. No casualties were reported. On the eve of the talks, it was clear the Hizbullah -led minority coalition and the Western-backed parliamentary majority remain at odds over the fate of Hizbullah's arsenal. The Iran and Syria-backed Hizbullah has resisted the calls to disarm, saying its weapons are necessary to protect and defend Lebanon against Israeli attacks. "I am completely confident that we can adopt a strategy that protects Lebanon based on our armed forces and benefiting from the resources and capabilities of the resistance," Suleiman said in his opening speech, referring to Hizbullah. He did not elaborate. The meeting was attended by Arab League Chief Amr Moussa. Mohammed Raad, a senior Hizbullah lawmaker who represented the Shiite Muslim group at the talks, implicitly renewed Hizbullah's rejection of local and international demands to disarm. "Defending ourselves is a right that does not require a decision. This issue can be debated in theory but the answer is clear and has already been decided," he said Sunday. Lawmaker Saad Hariri, who heads the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority, said such thinking reduces the upcoming dialogue to "a mere photo opportunity." Dialogue talks were first held in Lebanon in June 2006 but failed to make headway. Hizbullah's decision a month later to kidnap two Israeli soldiers, triggering the ruinous 34-day war with Israel, further aggravated the debate over Hizbullah's arsenal. Since that war, Lebanon has been rocked by successive internal crises and spates of sectarian fighting that has brought Lebanon to the brink of civil war. Further dialogue sessions in Beirut in Nov. 2006 and in France in July 2007 failed to produce any results.