Suleiman to Monaco on Thursday Amid Continued Efforts to Lay Dialogue Foundation

President Michel Suleiman is scheduled to travel to Monaco on Thursday on a four-day official visit, al-Liwaa daily reported.

The newspaper also said that Suleiman held separate talks with Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea after the Iftar banquet he threw in honor of politicians and clergymen last Thursday.

The talks focused on the president’s efforts to revive the national dialogue and adopt a calm political rhetoric, al-Liwaa reported.

Suleiman has been holding a series of consultative talks with leaders from across the political spectrum to mull their viewpoints on his invitation for the all-party talks and lay the appropriate groundwork for the dialogue which he says has no alternative in confronting the ongoing challenges.

Hizbullah and its allies have stressed their support for the dialogue to discuss the national defense strategy while the March 14-led opposition has preconditioned its participation on discussing Hizbullah’s “illegitimate arms.”