Lebanon says Netanyahu's stance calls for more Arab unity

Jun 15, 2009, 14:40 GMT

Beirut - Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman described as 'rigid' Monday the latest stance by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concerning the Middle East peace process.

'The Israeli stance expressed by PM Netanyahu is characterized with rigidity, whether in dealing with the issue of peace, or on the level of settling the issue of Palestinian refugees. (This) calls on Arab leaders for more unity and to safeguard the spirit and willingness of the resistance,' Suleiman said.

'Lebanon has always warned against Israeli rigidity and has repeatedly cautioned against the negative effect this could have on the efforts of the international community in arriving at a just settlement for the region's crisis,' said Suleiman.

He called on the world community to 'further press the Israeli government to accept just and peaceful initiatives.'

Beirut also backs a 2002 Saudi peace plan that offers Israel full normalization of ties with Arab countries in return for a withdrawal from Arab land seized in the 1967 Six-Day War, and a return of Palestinian refugees.

There are some 367,000 Palestinian refugees living in 12 camps across Lebanon amid miserable conditions.

Netanyahu's long-billed speech on Sunday pledged conditional support for a Palestinian state - something the rightwing prime minister refused to do on the campaign trail - but insisted the Palestinians should not be allowed an army, among other conditions.