Lebanon’s rival factions resume national dialogue, Hezbollah’s weapons tops agenda

Lebanon’s rival groups resume national dialogue

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s rival political groups have resumed national reconciliation talks and Hezbollah’s weapons are a main topic on the agenda.

Leaders of more than a dozen factions are meeting at the presidential palace for Tuesday’s talks headed by President Michel Suleiman. The dialogue is part of a peace deal reached in Qatar in May 2008 that ended sectarian clashes and defused a crisis.

The factions have conducted similar dialogues every few months since. The last session was held before parliament elections in June.

But they have so far made no progress on a defense strategy that would eventually integrate Hezbollah’s weapons into the Lebanese regular armed forces.

The sides remain deeply at odds over the fate of the Islamic militant group’s arsenal.