Lebanon's rival political parties on Tuesday held a "national dialogue" to discuss defence strategy for the country - in the presence of Hezbollah representatives who refused to discuss their own movement's arms.
Hezbollah, which has backing from Iran and Syria, has vowed to keep its arms to fight Israel and protect Lebanon from any future attack by the Jewish state, dpa reported.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman called the summit two weeks ago to discuss the thorny issue of Hezbollah arms.
Members of the western-backed ruling majority and others from the Hezbolah-led opposition met in the presence of Suleiman in the Presidential Palace, around a table dubbed "the national dialogue table."
Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Kassem, had previously warned he was not willing to discuss the subject of Hebollah's weapons.
"There is no discussion topic at the dialogue table dubbed 'weapons'," he said, in reference to his movement's arms.
Kassem added that Lebanon needed "to reach a real defence capacity that frightens Israel and obliges it to know its limits."
In 2009 elections, Hezbollah won 13 seats in parliament. The Lebanese Shiite movement has also two ministers in premier Saad Hariri's cabinet.
Hezbollah's al Manar television said anyone believing the organization's weapons would be discussed was "deluded."
However, Sami Gemayel, a lawmaker from the Christian Phalangist Party, stressed that the only institution to protect the Lebanese and the country is the Lebanese army, and no one else.
United Nations resolution 1701, which ended 33-days of war with Lebanon, has called on disarming all militant groups including Hezbollah and that only the Lebanese army should have weapons.