And Yet Another Dialogue Session is Scheduled

Once again, and for the fifth consecutive time, the Lebanese "poles" met for another dialogue session over the country's defense strategy.

The picture, however, seemed to be the same as in previous sessions: the political leaders meet for hours and hours, and then decide to postpone their meeting.

Indeed, and after around four hours of talks and discussions in the framework of the national dialogue conference at the Baabda Presidential Palace, Lebanese rival leaders set March 28, 2009, as a date for the sixth dialogue session.

The participants in the dialogue session, meanwhile, adopted a joint declaration in which they vowed to protect the civil peace and work to prepare the appropriate climate to hold the elections without resorting to violence. They also pledged to respect the electoral slogans and reject any extortion attempt. They also agreed to approve the results of the elections, stressing that the Constitutional Council was the only reference eligible for settling the results.

The dialogue's session convened under the auspices of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, and in the presence of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, former President Amin Gemayel, the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohammad Raad (representing Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah), the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun, the head of the Future movement MP Saad Hariri, the head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt, minister Mohammad Safadi, MPs Boutros Harb, Ghassan Tueini, Agob Pakradounian, Elie Skaf, Michel Murr and the Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.

The main difference between Monday's session and previous dialogue rounds was the absence of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, who was taking part in an international donors' conference aimed at reconstructing the war-torn Gaza Strip.

The head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt left the session in its middle, saying that he has social obligations.

For his part, the head of the Future movement qualified the session as a "special" one.