Dialogue Not Imminent as Suleiman Faces Difficulties in Reaching Deal on Agenda

President Michel Suleiman’s attempt to come up with an agenda for the national dialogue is becoming complicated as he moves to his summer residence in Beiteddine next week and as both the March 8 and 14 forces hold onto their stances.

Informed sources ruled out that Suleiman could put the agenda of the dialogue that he intends to hold during Ramadan. The president will move to Beiteddine on August 3 and will hold consultations there during his three-week stay to mull the viewpoints of political leaders on his invitation for dialogue, the sources told An Nahar daily.

The president is seeking to come up with a consensual agenda for the all-party talks but both the majority and the opposition are holding onto their views on Hizbullah’s arms and the country’s defense strategy, which make his tasks difficult.

Suleiman discussed the issue with Speaker Nabih Berri at Baabda palace on Wednesday. Berri’s sources told An Nahar that the president is still in the stage of listening to the points of view of officials before deciding the direction that the national dialogue would take.

Suleiman’s latest consultations consolidated his conviction that dialogue on controversial issues is a must, the sources said. “However, each party is still holding onto its stance on the issue of the defense strategy.”