Lebanon on Friday hosts a historic and fateful summit of regional leaders aimed at defusing tensions over reports of an impending indictment against Hizbullah members for the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.
The meeting between President Michel Suleiman, Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad was hastily organized amid fears of Sunni-Shiite violence should the Special Tribunal for Lebanon implicate "rogue" Hizbullah members.
Abdullah visits Beirut for the first time as Saudi king. He had attended the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002 when he was still crown prince. He will be the first Saudi monarch to visit the country since 1957.
As for Assad, he visits the Lebanese capital after an eight-year absence to consolidate the resumption of normal ties between the two countries following five years of tension that erupted after Hariri's assassination in February 2005.
Abdullah and Assad are to arrive together from Damascus at around 1:00 pm and meet with Suleiman at Baabda palace before attending a luncheon.
An Nahar daily said that the meeting will also be attended by Speaker Nabih Berri, Premier Saad Hariri and members of the Saudi and Syrian delegations and their Lebanese counterparts.
The newspaper said around 250 people have received invitations to attend the luncheon with the exception of some members of the national dialogue, former presidents, party leaders who are not lawmakers and religious officials.
Phalange leader Amin Gemayel and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea are among those who haven't been invited while former President Emile Lahoud received an invitation.
According to An Nahar, Phalange MPs and ministers who have been invited to the luncheon will boycott the gathering.

(Naharnet-AFP)