Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Turkey felt deep concern as tension in Lebanon turned into armed clashes between the parties.

- 10 / 05 / 2008 08:47

Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Turkey felt deep concern as tension in Lebanon turned into armed clashes between the parties.

"Turkey, which has been following the developments regarded with bottleneck in presidential elections in Lebanon, expressed its uneasiness over the probable developments that may occur in case the political crisis could not be eliminated. Turkey has been stressing that a solution should be found through compromise. We are sorry that our concerns were proved to be right," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The statement referred to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's telephone conversations with Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nebih Berri, Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, and some other leaders in the region in which he called all the parties to restrain and compromise.

"Turkey expressed readiness to make any contribution to restore peace and stability in case any group asks assistance. Turkey's Ambassador in Beirut launches necessary initiatives in this respect," the statement said.

Turkey calls on parties to refrain from acts that would further escalate the tension and to search for a solution through dialogue in the basis of national interests, according to the statement.

The political crisis exploded into violence in Lebanon on Wednesday when supporters of the Hezbollah-led opposition blocked roads in the capital to enforce a strike called by labor unions protesting the government's economic policies and demanding pay raises.

The strike escalated into street confrontations between supporters of the rival camps. About a dozen people were injured. On Thursday, the violence spread outside the capital.