Palestinian weapons kept outside refugee camps across Lebanon should be addressed in Lebanon's national defense strategy, said Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh during Tuesday's national dialogue session at Baabda Presidential Palace.

He asked about the future of arms inside the camps, as well as about the state's responsibility toward Palestinian refugees.

Frangieh also called for forming a judicial commission in charge of establishing the criteria that would render someone an Israeli agent.

The national dialogue committee convened and was chaired by President Michel Suleiman. President Suleiman kicked off the session with a look back on the country's achievements since the last national dialogue committee convened in June 2009.

Suleiman highlighted the importance of national dialogue and called for adopting a culture of discourse. He said all the national dialogue members are committed to the "pact of honor" made at the previous dialogue sessions.

The president then talked about the mechanism behind appointing members of the national dialogue committee, adding that the timing of the list's announcement on February 28 was not linked to any regional or international developments.

The national defense strategy will be the main topic of discussion, the president said, and it will be built around proposals that were presented in previous dialogue sessions and suggestions from this year's gatherings.

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Members of the national dialogue committee agreed to reconfirm the decisions made at previous national dialogue sessions and to commend what has been achieved thus far.

A statement issued after the session said that the committee agreed to continue deliberations over the national defense strategy by working with the military committee that was formed in December 2008 and studying the several defense strategies it proposed "in an effort to find common ground among the different parties and eventually reach a unified national defense strategy."

The committee members also agreed to maintain political calm and dialogue and to abstain from attacking each other through the media. The members are also committed to the pact of honor that was agreed on by the previous national dialogue committee, the statement said. The national dialogue committee will reconvene on April 15 at 11:00 a.m.

10/3/2010