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| Lebanese leaders to hold
fourth talk round Monday BEIRUT -- Lebanese political leaders will hold their fourth round of talks at the Presidential Palace on Monday, under the sponsorship of President Michel Suleiman, to discuss the national defense strategy. An authoritative source within the palace told KUNA that today's talk session would receive more proposals of defense-related strategies, adding that the participants would be listening to a briefing on this from MP Boutros Harb of the March 14 Alliance. The source added that Harb, in his presentation, would call for uniting all efforts to form a single front that monopolized the armed forces within a legal framework, and to place a defense plan under the state's sponsorship and authority. Representatives of the March 14 Alliance are expected to bring up the issue of Palestinian arms outside the refugee camps, where this was an issue that was agreed upon in the past by the participants. This comes after the launch of rockets from southern Lebanon at Israel in the past few weeks. Moreover, the source told KUNA that the parties would be asked to name their representatives to the premier's work team tasked with identifying commonalities and difference in proposed visions in order to place a final strategy. Suleiman is expected to deliver a speech at the beginning of the session in which he would speak of the situation in Gaza, the outcomes of the Arab Economic Summit recently concluded in Kuwait, and the importance of the reconciliation among Arab leaders that took place. The first round of talks was held in 2006 under Prime Minister Nabih Berri. The last session was held on December 22 of last year. -Kuna |