BEIRUT: March 14 Beirut MPs announced Wednesday their decision to hold talks with their rivals in the March 8 coalition, along with Progressive Socialist Party members, as part of their efforts to reach their long-standing demand for an arms-free capital.

The decision came during a meeting they held at Parliament Wednesday to evaluate their discussions with President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati over the matter.

“The city of Beirut is not and cannot be an isolated island ... and we should work under the same slogan in Greater Beirut,” Beirut MP Mohammad Qabbani told reporters after the meeting.

“This means holding dialogue with influential political factions which are not represented in the city of Beirut: we mean here the Amal Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah, the Tashnag Party and the Progressive Socialist Party,” added Qabbani.

The lawmaker said that the next step would be holding dialogue with these factions. “We should be patient,” he added.