Egypt is urging all Lebanese factions to resolve their crisis through dialogue, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossam Zaki said Saturday 10/5/2008, stressing the situation in Beirut was "threatening and worrying".

Speaking about Egypt's role, Zaki said that Cairo was the first to call for an emergency Arab foreign ministers' meeting on Sunday 11/5/2008 to discuss the crisis.

"We can not leave Lebanon to return to another civil war, so we called for the immediate meeting," Zaki said.

"There is a strong need for Arab unity to resolve the conflict there, and this shall be under the umbrella of the Arab League", he added.

Zaki stressed that talks with all factions in Lebanon were progressing. He added that the ministers' meeting would discuss many initiatives suggested by some Arab countries to end the crisis.

Egypt has recommended that the Lebanese would de-escalate the situation through "a wise discussion" not through "armed clashes in the streets," Zaki said.

He added that Egypt had called for an immediate withdrawal of militants from streets. The situation in Beirut was a "warning alert" for a new civil war in Lebanon, he said.