DAMASCUS - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Thursday called on Saudi Arabia to use its influence over the anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon in order to resolve the political crisis gripping it.

"Saudi Arabia must use its influence over the majority in Lebanon to help find a solution," Muallem told Arab foreign ministers meeting in Damascus.

"The Syrian efforts alone are not enough. The Arab parties that are friendly with and have influence in Lebanon must exert efforts," he said.

"Syria is the first to suffer from the crisis in Lebanon and we will be the first to benefit from stability in Lebanon," the minister added.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since November 24, when pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud stood down, and presidential powers have been transferred to the cabinet.

Earlier on Monday, the speaker's office in Beirut announced that another parliamentary session to elect a new president had been postponed from Tuesday until April 22 amid continued deadlock between rival political leaders.

The decision marks the 17th time since September that such a session to elect a successor to Lahoud has failed amid a standoff between the Western- and Saudi-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition, backed by Syria and Iran.

Reconsidering Arab peace initiative

Muallem hinted at the possibility of reconsidering the Arab peace initiative if Israel does not prove its intention to establish peace in the Middle East.

"We believe in a just and comprehensive peace but Israel, which is supported by the United States, is still unable to show a political will to create peace," Muallem told diplomats of the 22-member Arab League.

"Therefore we support what came out of our meeting in Cairo which is to study Arab options for the strategy of peace," he said.

Arab foreign ministers meeting in the Egyptian capital earlier this month said the "continuation of the Arab side to offer the Arab initiative for peace will be linked to Israel's fulfillment of its obligations in the context of international texts for achieving peace in the region."

The Arab initiative, first proposed at the Beirut summit in 2002, offers Israel normalisation of relations and comprehensive peace agreements with Arab countries in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the occupied territories.

Nimr Hammad, an advisor to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the Palestinians objected to withdrawing the Arab initiative.

"We do not support withdrawing the Arab initiative because this would give Israel excuses and would weaken our position," Hammad said.

"If this happens, the headlines will say that Arabs refuse peace," he said. -AFP