Lebanese security officials held preparatory meetings in Italy on Wednesday ahead of the Rome 2 Conference to support the Lebanese Army and security services, which will be attended by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Army Commander Joseph Aoun, Director-General of General Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim, Director General of Internal Security Forces Major General Imad Othman and senior officers held meetings with their counterparts and with Arab and western officials at the level of the committees to discuss documents prepared by Lebanon, which include requirements for the army and the security services. Military sources described the meetings, which were based on the “Five-Year Plan for the years 2018-2022,” as “very good”, noting that they were expecting the conference to yield positive results. President Michel Aoun had announced earlier this week that he would launch dialogue over the country’s defense strategy following the upcoming parliamentary elections. Dialogue over the defense strategy was halted upon the end of the term of former President Michel Sleiman in 2014. The latter has convened national dialogue sessions that gathered the country’s leaders, who have failed, over a period of eight years, to agree on the fate of Hezbollah’s arms. The Central News Agency quoted well-informed diplomatic sources as saying that several international parties have stressed the need for Lebanon to clearly declare its commitment to international resolutions, in particular UNSCR 1559 and 1701. Those resolutions, according to the sources, can be summarized in two points: restricting the task of defending Lebanon to the legitimate Lebanese institutions, and controlling all weapons present on Lebanese territories. The sources added that Lebanon was counting on the upcoming conference to strengthen the capabilities of its security institutions for the coming years and to enrich its land and maritime arsenals.