Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Dialogue to Focus on Defusing Tension

The second round of dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal movement is scheduled to be held in Ain el-Tineh on Monday to discuss ways to limit Sunni-Shiite tension, political sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily published on Sunday that the representatives of the two parties will assess the results of the first meeting that was held between them under the auspices of Speaker Nabih Berri last month.

Al-Mustaqbal was represented by Nader Hariri, who is the adviser of al-Mustaqbal leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, in addition to Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and MP Samir al-Jisr.

Hizbullah secretary-general's political aide Hussein Khalil, Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan and MP Hassan Fadlallah attended the Dec. 23 meeting on behalf of Hizbullah.

The second round of talks is expected to focus on the consolidation of measures aimed at reducing tension, which is mainly linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria, the sources said.

Lebanon, a country plagued by decades of strife, has been on edge since the uprising in Syria against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011, with deadly clashes between pro and anti- Assad Lebanese groups erupting on several occasions.

The country is divided between pro-Assad and anti-Assad factions because of the legacy of the nearly three decades when Damascus all but ruled Lebanon until 2005.

Hizbullah has sent its fighters to Syria to back Assad against the rebels seeking to topple him. Al-Mustaqbal supports the rebels.

The agenda of the talks between the two rivals includes the presidential deadlock. But it was not clear when the representatives will discuss the crisis.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended in May.