Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said Wednesday that Beirut is ready to host an Arab summit if differences persist over the place of the meeting, Elnashra website reported.
The Arab summit should be held in Damascus, he said, since Syrians has currently the presidency of the Arab league, and the latest summit held in Damascus in last March was boycotted by several Arab countries.
Suleiman repeated his call for an urgent Arab summit to take place as soon as possible, in order to adopt a "unified Arab stand in solidarity" against the massacres in Gaza.
The president reminded that he had declared his approval to hold the Arab summit "unconditionally."
The Arab countries have disagreement on whether to hold an Arab emergency summit or not. Syria and Qatar have said they can host the summit, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia said it is not mature to hold such a summit during the Arab foreign ministers meeting held in Cairo on Wednesday.
Suleiman made his remarks to passengers of the ship of "Dignity" which was rammed Tuesday by Israeli vessels while sailing with aid to Gaza. He expressed his discontentment regarding the Israeli "massacres" committed against women and children in the Gaza Strip.
The passengers, including activists, journalists and a crew foral-Jazeera TV, thanked the president for his prompt respond in ordering Lebanese navy boats to escort the boat and rescue its passengers, and allowing the ship to board in Tyre port south of Lebanon.
The boat, sailed form Cyprus, after rammed by the Israeli patrol vessel, was forced back from approaching Gaza territorial water and arrived at Tyre port in south Lebanon in the afternoon.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman appeared on al-Jazeera saying that its navy prevented the ship because it is full of Journalists and it is "an act of provocation and propaganda."
"This is a propaganda message which we refuse," the spokesman said.
But the president congratulated the passengers for being hit by Israeli navy, said this reflected that they were carrying out a humanitarian task.
Source:Xinhua
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