Lebanese to begin talks, focus on Hezbollah arms

By Tom Perry

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Military and political movement Hezbollah and rival Lebanese factions will this week open new talks on a national defence strategy expected to focus on the role of the group's controversial guerrilla army.

President Michel Suleiman will chair the first session of the national dialogue on Tuesday, gathering leaders of Lebanon's anti-Syrian parliamentary majority coalition and a rival alliance backed by Damascus and led by Hezbollah.

The "national defence strategy" is so far the only item on the agenda of the talks, a senior political source told Reuters. The talks were agreed as part of a Qatari-mediated deal that ended the sides' 18-month political conflict in May.

"Widening the attendance and the agenda is up to the parties," the source said. Suleiman is due to give a speech at the opening session, which will be attended by Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa.

Demands for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran, were at the heart of the political crisis which pushed Lebanon to the brink of civil war.

DOMINANT FACTION

By far the most powerful faction in Lebanon, Hezbollah is not expected to give much ground to its critics at the talks.

But even if the dialogue makes little progress, it is seen as a means of easing political and sectarian tensions that have lingered since the Doha agreement and which could threaten stability in the run up to parliamentary elections next year.

Hezbollah, listed as a terrorist group by the United States, has ignored U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for it to disarm and is widely believed to have expanded its arsenal since a 34-day war with Israel in 2006.

The group's rivals in Lebanon, including Saudi-backed politician Saad al-Hariri, have argued that the group's arsenal undermines the state. Hezbollah says its guerrilla army, known as "the resistance", is vital for defending Lebanon from Israel.

The weapons became an even more divisive issue in Lebanon in May when Hezbollah used some of its military power to briefly take control of the Muslim half of Beirut, effectively imposing many of its terms for an end to the political crisis.

But it has said it is willing to discuss a defence strategy that would define the role of its guerrillas and the Lebanese army in confronting what it sees as an Israeli threat.

"The resistance has offered a model of defence which proved that it protects Lebanon and achieves victory," Mohammed Raad, who is expected to represent Hezbollah at the talks, said on Saturday.

"Either we discuss this strategy on the basis of acknowledging its benefits, or an alternative strategy is put forward to which we will listen," he said.

Following Tuesday's opening, the next session will be held after Suleiman -- a Maronite Christian and former army chief who has good relations with Syria and Hezbollah -- returns from an official visit to the United States.

(Additional reporting by Laila Bassam; editing by Mark Trevelyan)