Parliament speaker Nabih Berri said on Sunday that Lebanon refused to accept a draft UN resolution agreed by France and the United States as it did not comply with a seven-point plan to resolve the Lebanon-Israel crisis.

Berri told a news conference that he was looking forward to further discussion of the draft UN resolution because Lebanon refused any proposal that did not comply with the seven-point plan which was put forward by Lebanese Prime Minister Souad Siniora during an international conference held in Rome, Italy on July 26.

On Saturday, France and the United States agreed on a draft resolution calling for end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah as first step toward a political settlement.

The draft calls for a "full cessation of hostilities", urging Hezbollah to end attacks immediately and Israel to stop "all offensive military operations".

Berri, however, criticized the joint proposal as a bias one that favored Israel, saying that stopping "all offensive military operations" implied that the Israeli would maintain their position on the Lebanese soil and stay in the areas they "occupied" until further discussions and negotiations were made.

Such a proposal meant that Lebanon was back to the situation before the Israeli retreat in 2000, the speaker added.

Meanwhile, Berri called on Arab countries to take action in supporting the seven-point plan, including an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of prisoners, putting the Shebaa Farms under the UN control, sending the Lebanese army into south Lebanon and expanding the UN peacekeeping force, rather than merely approve it in word.

Violence between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah erupted on July 12 after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight during cross-border attacks.

Diplomatic efforts are underway to stop the Hezbollah-Israel conflict which entered its 26th day on Sunday, as some 900 Lebanese and over 70 Israelis have been killed in the clashes so far.

Source: Xinhua