Saudi, Jordanian kings express concern about dangerous escalation in Lebanon

Majority says 'coup' de-legitimizes Hezbollah

European countries exert efforts to avoid civil war in Lebanon

Jordan and Saudi Arabia expressed concern Friday about the regrettable situation in Lebanon.

During a telephone conversation held between King Abdullah II of Jordan and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud the two Arab leaders called on the conflicting Lebanese sides to listen to the voice of common sense and logic to serve their country's higher interests and preserve its unity and sovereignty.

Earlier Jordan said it is watching with deep concern the rapid deterioration in the political and security situation and the deplorable events in the Lebanese arena and warned that the current troubles will only lead to further aggravation of the situation which becomes difficult to control.

Jordan calls on all Lebanese parties to exercise self-restraint, embrace dialogue and give priority to national interest by reactivating the Arab initiative in order to resolve the Lebanese political crisis, which can help impose the rule of law and return security and stability to Lebanese streets, said a Jordanian statement.

Kuwait welcomed a call for an urgent meeting at the level of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Lebanon.

"Kuwait welcomes the convention of the meeting to consider possible solutions that secure security and stability in Lebanon," an official source at Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The source voiced Kuwait's growing concern over the serious escalation and deterioration in security conditions in Lebanon.

The source also called for renouncing violence, immediately halting fighting and resorting to dialogue.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said he is following up with deep concern the tragic developments in Beirut over the last few hours that left a number of people killed and injured.

In press statements, Abul-Gheit denounced the deterioration of the situation warning that it would lead to domestic and regional repercussions.

He voiced hope that all forms of street violence would be brought to an end and that all the conflicting parties would refrain from using force.

Egypt called on the Arab League secretary general to hold an emergency meeting of Arab ministers in an attempt to put an end to the deteriorating situation, he said, adding that the state of violence will not change Egypt's stand regarding the need to implement the Arab initiative and elect a Lebanese president as soon as possible.

Meantime, Abul-Gheit is carrying out contacts with his Arab counterparts for consultations on the latest developments in Lebanon, according to the Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa conferred with Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on the latest developments in Lebanon and how to reach an Arab stance to get out of this tragic situation.

They also discussed putting into effect the Arab Peace Initiative on solving the Lebanese political crisis.

The meeting came within the context of setting the stage for the meeting to open by Arab foreign ministers to discuss the Lebanese crisis.

Proposals are supposed to be raised during this meeting aiming at solving this issue.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called upon all Lebanese parties to observe calm and self-restraint and to resume peaceful dialogue to resolve the political crisis. In a statement he made, the Secretary General expressed the OIC’s full support to the language of dialogue.

The Secretary General also expressed his deep concern over the armed clashes and the tension currently prevailing in Lebanon. He called upon all parties to synergize their efforts for the election of a President for the republic within the framework of the Arab initiative which called for the Chief of Staff, General Michel Suleiman, to be installed as President as soon as possible. He cautioned that the current crisis in Lebanon is the worst since the civil war.

On behalf of the Islamic Ummah, Ihsanoglu urged the Lebanese parties, not to let themselves drifted towards the abyss of internal strife and called upon them to abide by the tenants and teachings of Islam, to avoid any bloodshed and resolve their dispute peacefully.

The Secretary General is undertaking contacts with various leaders in Lebanon to discuss the steps that need to be taken in the face of the recent developments and to work together for an immediate end to the crisis.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohyealdeen Khojah said that all Saudi citizens in Lebanon are well and none of them has suffered any harm due to the current events in Lebanon.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, he said the staff of the embassy evacuated all the citizens from the dangerous areas in Beirut and provided them with safe places of residence. He added that the Saudi embassy in Beirut makes its capabilities at the disposal of all Saudi citizens to facilitate their affairs, meet all their desires and help those wishing to leave Lebanon to do so.

The Saudi Embassy to Damascus is currently receiving Saudi citizens coming from Lebanon across the Lebanese Syrian border fleeing the current violent incidents in Lebanon, Embassy officials said today.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Falih bin Mohammed Al-Rihaili, Charge d'Affaires in Damascus, said the Embassy has delegated several Embassy staff members to the Lebanese Syrian border to welcome Saudi citizens seeking safer places.

He cited the arrival of 46 Saudis escorted by Embassy officials to hotels already reserved by the Embassy. Already 40 out of them have left for Saudi Arabia, he added.

Al-Rihaili said that the Embassy, in accordance with instructions of the Saudi prudent government, will spare no effort to provide necessary assistance to Saudi citizens coming from Lebanon on their way back home.

Lebanon's governing coalition, the March 14 Forces, accused Hezbollah of staging a military coup against the state and said that Hezbollah's arms have become illegitimate after they were used against their fellow Lebanese citizens. "Hezbollah's claim that its arms were only targeted at Israel have proved false and invalid in the past two days, which witnessed the uses of such arms against the Lebanese people," the statement said.

Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea, reading the March 14 Forces statement after a meeting at his residence in Maarab, rejected Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's claim that the group's weapons were used against other Lebanese in a bid to protect Hezbollah's possession of arms.

In a news conference, Nasrallah said that Hezbollah were ready to use their arms against other Lebanese, if the desired goal was to defend the resistance.

The March 14 statement compared "Hezbollah's occupation" of Beirut to the Israeli occupation of Beirut after the invasion of 1982.

"Beirut did not fall to Israel in the past and will not fall to Hezbollah today," the statement said.

Geagea also said that the Hezbollah "coup" was aimed at putting Syria back in control and increasing Iranian influence. "The armed and bloody coup which is being implemented aims to return Syria to Lebanon and extend Iran's reach to the Mediterranean."

The March 14 Forces reiterated their backing of the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and called on the Arab and international community to interfere to end the "coup" and put pressure on whoever is backing it.

Hezbollah fighters, their guns blazing, seized control of west Beirut on Friday after three days of deadly street battles with pro-government foes pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war.

Dozens of people were also wounded in the fighting which escalated after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah called a government crackdown on his powerful militant group a declaration of war.

In west Beirut, most shops and businesses remained shuttered while tanks rolled through the streets and riot police and troops patrolled but with orders not to intervene in the conflict.

In scenes reminiscent of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon was largely cut off from the outside world, with the airport and Beirut port shut and key highways blockaded.

Hundreds of people flooded border crossings with Syria to escape the violence and foreign governments began putting evacuation plans in place.

An airport official said all Friday's flights were cancelled as the main road from Beirut was barricaded by Hezbollah. "As soon as they open the road, the flights will resume."

Lebanon's long-running political standoff, which first erupted in November 2006 when six pro-Syrian ministers quit Siniora's cabinet, has left it without a president since November, when Damascus protégé Emile Lahoud stepped down.

Meanwhile, former President Amin Gemayel on Friday downplayed what he called "Hezbollah's alleged victory" and said that such "victory" is likely to hit back at Hezbollah.

Gemayel criticized Nasrallah for comparing the clashes in Beirut to the clashes fought by Hezbollah militants against the Israeli military during the summer 2006 war.

Gemayel said that Hezbollah has crossed all the red lines, adding that the ruling coalition was ready to engage in dialogue on the condition that the issue of Hezbollah arms would be the dialogue's first item.

The Phalange leader also condemned the attack on media organizations, referring to the attack against Future Television headquarters in Beirut. The Future TV building was attacked by members of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP).

Gemayel also warned of the security situation in Lebanon and disclosed information about the presence of Al-Qaeda operatives in some of the country's Palestinian refugee camps.

Also on Friday, Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt warned Hezbollah against invading the areas controlled by his party.

"Hezbollah need to know that we also have arms the same way they do," Jumblatt said in an interview with New TV.

However, Jumblatt denied his PSP or the Future Movement run organized militias.

The PSP leader proposed handing over the situation to the Lebanese army. "We should leave it to the army to decide what to do. Everybody trusts the army," he said.

Jumblatt also questioned whether the sacking of an army officer deserved the burning down of Beirut.

He was referring to the government's recent decision to remove Airport Security Chief Brigadier General Wafiq Shoucair from his post. The decision sparked the current crisis.

While expressing his readiness to engage in dialogue to end the crisis, Jumblatt vowed that he will remain in Beirut and will not leave his residence in the Clemenceau area.

Jumblatt's residence, which is under the army's protection, is reportedly under siege by opposition militants.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Democratic Party (LDP) leader Talal Arslan, one of Jumblatt's chief rivals, contacted the PSP leader and assured him that he (Arslan) was against any action that risked the safety of Jumblatt.

Another rival of Jumblatt, Head of Tawheed Party Wiam Wahhab asked Jumblatt to remove all PSP security checkpoints in Mount Lebanon.

Earlier on Friday, Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun said that the recent events have put the country back on the right track.

Aoun held the government responsible for the eruption of violence in Beirut and said that he had previously warned the United Nations Security Council that the situation in Lebanon could escalate at any time if the international community continued its support for the "illegitimate" Siniora government.

"I also warned them [the ruling coalition] not to arm themselves. I told them that they will not have the chance to use their arms," Aoun said.

The retired general, a leading figure of the Hezbollah-led opposition movement, described the seizure of most parts of west Beirut by Hezbollah and Amal Movement militants as a victory for Lebanon.

"It is not the victory of one party over the other. It is a victory for Lebanon."

In a related development, the Maronite League, in a six-point statement issued Friday, warned against the broadening of the eruption of inter-Lebanese violence in the country, adding that "these tragic clashes have brought back memories of the [1975-1990] Civil War in Lebanon."

The statement expressed concerns after the recent aggravation of the political crisis and the absence of dialogue between the government and the opposition coalition.

The Maronite League called for an immediate return to a multiparty dialogue and to take immediate actions to withdraw fighters out of the streets.

In his first public reaction to Hezbollah's takeover of west Beirut, Siniora decried what he called a "poisonous sting" to democracy.

He said Hezbollah's weapons could no longer be considered to be legitimately held because they had been turned on the Lebanese themselves.

Sixteen people were killed in Saturday's violence, two of them at a funeral procession for an earlier victim of the sectarian fighting.

Fourteen people were also killed in north Lebanon in clashes between rival supporters, a security official told AFP.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration accused Iran and Syria on Friday of fueling ongoing violence in Lebanon by inciting members of the radical Shiite Hezbollah movement to take up arms against the country's western-backed government.

As Hezbollah militants seized control of large parts of Beirut, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denounced the show-of-force, which she said was being supported by Iranian and Syrian elements, and reaffirmed the firm support of the United States for Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's shaky coalition.

"Backed by Syria and Iran, Hezbollah and its allies are killing and injuring innocent citizens and undermining the legitimate authority of the Lebanese government and the institutions of the Lebanese state," she said. "Seeking to protect their state within a state, Hezbollah has exploited its allies and demonstrated its contempt for its fellow Lebanese."

"We will stand by the Lebanese government and the peaceful citizens of Lebanon through the crisis and provide the support they need to weather this storm," Rice said in a statement released after she spoke by phone with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and France about the situation. Rice was also trying to reach Siniora.

Rice's statement was read to reporters by State Department spokesman Sean McCormack who said the United States had evidence that Iran and Syria, in particular, were beginning to take an active role in encouraging the violence that has killed at least 14 people and wounded 20 since it began.

"It is becoming more apparent now that the linkages that we know exist and are ongoing between Hezbollah and Syria and Iran are starting to manifest themselves in the current crisis," he said. "At the beginning we didn't see it, but we are now."

Specifically, McCormack said U.S. officials were seeing "groups and individuals that are known associates and proxies of Syria ... starting to engage. Groups that are linked to Syria and that are in Lebanon right now are taking a much more active roll in fanning the flames and violence and attacks that are destabilizing the political situation."

He would not specify which "groups and individuals" were involved, nor would he say if the United States had similar evidence of involvement by specific Iranian elements beyond Tehran's general support for Hezbollah.

The United States has grown increasingly concerned about the violence - Lebanon's worst sectarian fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war - as it has unfolded and Hezbollah has taken control of key parts of Beirut from Sunnis loyal to the Siniora's government, which has been wracked by a long-running political deadlock.

Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri received two calls from parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri and leader of Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt.

The phone calls came after Berri's house was exposed to gunfire and one of its guards was shot dead.

In a related development, the cabinet held an extraordinary meeting under Premier Fouad al-Siniora in the presence of security leaders.

Minister of Information Ghazi al-Aridi gave no statements after the meeting.

No official stance was announced by the government on the heated clashes in Beirut between supporters of the majority and the opposition.

Speaker of the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies Nabih Berri discussed over the phone with Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa the latest developments in the Lebanese arena.

Berri also received phone calls from United Nations envoy to Lebanon Terje-Roed Larsen and U.S. charge d'affaires in Lebanon Michele Sison dealing with the current Lebanese situation, especially after yesterday's general strike that triggered street violence.

For his part, Lebanese Christian opposition leader MP Michel Aoun on Friday expected that a solution to the current violence will be reached soon, local OTV reported.

Lebanese will go back to their normal life and roads will be opened, Aoun said in a televised address, adding that "I guarantee that no one will be subject to suppression except those who breached their jurisdictions." "Events in Lebanon are on the right track now," said Aoun.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora conferred over phone with a number of Arab officials on the developments in Lebanon and the emergency meeting of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.

Siniora media office said the Lebanese prime minister received telephone calls from the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia Ahmed Abul-Gheit and Prince Saud al Faisal respectively, as well as Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Friday urged about 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon to stay out of the current conflict between the government and the opposition. He also warned against attempts to drag the Palestinians into the ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and forces loyal to the government.

Abbas told reporters in Ramallah that he was "following with concern" developments in Lebanon and urged the warring parties not to "drag the country into a more critical situation."

"We are concerned about Lebanon's unity and safety and we want the best relations with all its parties," he said.

"We are temporary guests there until we can return to Palestine and until then, and from previous painful experiences, we should remain neutral and respect the official Lebanese institutions and laws," he said.

Thousands of Palestinians living in Lebanon were killed during the country's 1975-1990 civil war.

The majority of Lebanon's Palestinians are refugees who either fled or were expelled from their homes in historic Palestine during the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 that followed the creation of Israel.

As violence escalated in Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Friday called for a political solution to the crisis, dpa reported on its website.

There is no other solution than a political one. Fifteen years of civil war have shown that one side cannot win over the other," Kouchner was quoted as saying by his spokeswoman.

The French foreign minister urged representatives of the Lebanese government and Hezbollah "to sit at a negotiating table and come to an agreement."

At least 11 people were killed and dozens were injured overnight in fighting in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Kouchner said that France "does not intend to remain inactive" in the crisis, and said he had spoken with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

He also said that France, which will assume the rotating six-month EU presidency on July 1, was acting on behalf of the current EU president, Slovenia, in the crisis and coordinating a response with its European partners.

Yemen has contacted rival Lebanese factions and regional governments to discuss mandating Lebanon's army chief to chair a dialogue to halt the sectarian fighting in Lebanon, the state Saba news agency reported.

It said Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh made telephone calls to the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Lebanese army chief General Michel Sleiman, as well as Sunni and Shiite leaders there whose supporters are locked in gun battles in the Lebanese capital for the third day.

"The conversation revolved around mandating...Sleiman, on whom all Lebanese political forces have agreed (as a consensus president), to manage a dialogue in Lebanon and shoulder his responsibility in preserving Lebanon's security, stability and national unity," Saba reported.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country long dominated neighboring Lebanon, said on Friday that the political crisis there was an "internal matter" and called for it to be resolved through dialogue.

Assad was speaking at a meeting with visiting Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, during which the two shared thoughts "on the regional situation, particularly in Lebanon," state news agency Sana reported.

The White House says now isn't the time for a peace conference between U.S. President George Bush and leaders of Israel and the Palestinians.

Bush will be in Israel next week to help the Jewish state mark the 60th anniversary of its founding. He also plans to visit Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

National security adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters that next week did not seem the time for a big high-level, three-way event with the president, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hadley added it just doesn't feel right as the best way to advance the negotiations.

Experts on the Middle East, meanwhile, predicted little to no progress on the peace process during Bush's trip to the region and said that the Bush administration should expect little cooperation from Saudi Arabia on increasing oil production.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reportedly had been pushing for the three leaders to meet in Egypt. However, The Washington Times said, Olmert appears on the verge of being indicted in a corruption probe and could be forced to resign.