Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that he would not resign despite a penal report blaming him for launching last summer's war with Lebanese Hezbollah without sufficient deliberation.

In the wake of the scathing Winograd Committee interim report, Prime Minister Olmert vowed in a special TV address that he will not resign despite the report's harsh conclusions, local newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Olmert, however, admitted that "serious mistakes were made, mainly by me," adding that he planned to appoint a team devoted to "swiftly learning the report and implementing the lessons it requires."

Olmert also said that he would hold a special cabinet meeting to discuss the conclusions of the report.

At an earlier meeting of ministers from his Kadima party, Olmert also declared that "the (penal) report is indeed harsh, but I have no intention of resigning."

"I have no doubt that lessons must be learned, but Israelis have a tendency of not letting people correct their mistakes. There will be no possibility of drawing conclusions if we enter a political crisis. I intend to continue drawing these conclusions with you," he said.

Ahead of the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Israel Maimon told the Israel Radio that "the (penal) report lists difficulties, failures and mistakes by all the leaders, including the prime minister and the question is what do we do now." But he maintained that Olmert should not quit.

Eliyahu Winograd, a retired judge, told a press conference Monday afternoon that Prime Minister Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz all failed in their roles during the Lebanon War last summer.

He presented his report into the war's failings during the press conference.

Source: Xinhua