Geagea to join dialogue if Hezbollah’s arms debated

March 14 MP Michel Pharaon reiterated Thursday that Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea would be willing to participate in the National Dialogue if discussion of Hezbollah’s arms and the national defense strategy proves serious. “If [discussion] is serious, then Geagea is ready to compromise and participate in the next dialogue session,” Pharaon told reporters after meeting with the LF leader in his Meerab residence. “We have waited for six years so that the issue of Hezbollah's arms and the national defense strategy is on the National Dialogue table, so we don't have a problem with waiting an additional 12 days,” he said. President Michel Sleiman chaired the first Dialogue session in 18 months Monday. Participants agreed on several issues including distancing Lebanon from regional and international conflicts and supporting the military morally and financially. Geagea was among the absentees from the session which took place in Baabda Palace. He has described the Dialogue as a waste of time and said Hezbollah was not ready to discuss its arsenal. Sleiman has said that the Dialogue’s agenda includes discussion of a national defense strategy that would benefit from Hezbollah’s arms, the question of how to disarm Palestinian camps, and how to resolve the issue of weapons outside the jurisdiction of the state. The president has set June 25 for the next session of the dialogue. Pharaon also said that Hezbollah’s arms are the main issue facing the country given that they were used “in the interior,” in reference to the May 2008 clashes that contributed to the proliferation of arms across the country. The Beirut MP also said that dialogue was needed to support the army, accusing the government of failing in this regard.