Clashes in May led to the deaths of 65 people and brought Lebanon close to civil war [AFP]

Michel Sleiman, the president, heads the talks between 14 political figures from both the anti-Syrian March 14 parliamentary coalition and pro-Damascus opposition.

Tuesday's meeting in the Presidential Palace in Baabda, will proceed under heightened security, and a positive outcome is not expected.

Sarkis Naoum, an analyst writing in An-Nahar, an Arabic daily newspaper, said: "Those who expect the dialogue to provide solutions to the bigger issues that divide the Lebanese are hallucinating."

The talks should establish a timetable and an agenda for future meetings.

Disarmament

President Michel Sleiman heads the talks between 14 leading politicians [AFP]

Analysts believe that Hezbollah will not bend to disarmament demands in view of its dominant position. The group is expected to attempt to expand the number of its allies in the talks with the parliamentary majority dominating.

Saad al-Hariri, the parliamentary leader, said: "Expanding the dialogue is a tactic to buy time and determine the outcome in advance."

Hezbollah's arms are a sticking point. The group, backed by Iran and Syria, argues that its weaponry is needed to protect the country from Israeli attacks.

The parliamentary majority, backed by Western nations, asserts that the state should be the only body with responsibility for issues of national security.

Sporadic clashes

The talks are an outcome of the Doha peace accord signed in May, immediately after street battles between fighters loyal to the political rivals killed 65 people.

The accord curtailed 18 months of deadlock, during which the sides were unable to agree on a new president. Sleiman was eventually appointed and the formation of a national unity government went ahead.

However, the country has seen sporadic incidences of violence since.

On Tuesday morning, one person was shot dead and another two wounded in the split Sunni and Shia village of Taalbaya Bekaa Valley region in eastern Lebanon.

In June, three people were killed in the same region in clashes between supporters of Hezbollah and the Future Movement, a rival faction.

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