BEIRUT — The “clock is ticking” on Middle East peace, Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri told U.S. President Barack Obama this week in his first official visit to Washington since forming a government of national unity.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri presides over United Nations Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday, May 26.                                       PHOTO: Ali Mansour/The Arab American News

However, he added, the Arab world has never before been so ready for an end to hostilities with Israel. Yet, there is “pervasive frustration and scepticism” in the Muslim world regarding the issue. The Lebanese leader warned that failure to reach an agreement would lead to more violence and radicalism in the region.Hariri’s visit to the United States was centered on the prospects of peace and the threats caused by Israel’s accusations against Syria that it plans to supply Hizbollah with long-range Scud missiles capable of hitting major Israeli cities.For his part, the U.S. President insisted on “the threat posed by the transfer of weapons into Lebanon in violation of UNSCR 1701,” which calls for the disarmament of the Shi’a Muslim group.Hariri denied Israel’s accusations, whilst his government has said it backs the right of the guerrilla group to keep its weapons to deter Israeli attacks.”We didn’t talk about the Scuds, our main topic was peace,” Hariri said, insisting on the right of “Palestinians to have their (independent) state with Jerusalem as capital.” With this in mind, Hariri urged the Obama administration to redouble its efforts to get Israel to accept a peace accord.Sources close to the Lebanese delegation  said, “What was achieved this day can be summarized in five fundamental points. First, U.S. leaders told Hariri that the U.S. was committed to advancing the peace process through dialogue and negotiations. They renewed their commitment to respect and preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence, which would not be sacrificed to any regional development. Moreover, they reaffirmed the “application of international resolutions as the sine qua non condition to reach a just and comprehensive peace.” These “are the basis on which all problems can be settled, most notably the issue of extra-legal weapons. Finally, both parties “reject violence, which cannot lead to any [positive] result.”Obama and Hariri also discussed U.S.-led international efforts to isolate Iran over its disputed nuclear program, officials said.Addressing the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Hariri stressed that ongoing Israeli occupation of Arab territories hindered peace negotiations and diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”How could dialogue build confidence with continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands and the persistent denial of the national and human rights of the Palestinian people, and more particularly their right to return and to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Hariri said while addressing the UN Security Council.The Lebanese premier, who chaired the session because Lebanon holds the council’s presidency for the month of May, added that sectarian and ethnic violence and terrorism should be resolved through “preemptive diplomacy” and cooperation to reach peaceful and just solutions to conflicts.”Opting for dialogue is responsive to the new or recurrent social and political phenomenon marked by sectarian and ethnic violence and terrorism. It is a means for dealing with their root causes in order to preempt their occurrence through preventive diplomacy,” Hariri said.Hariri also expressed Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council resolutions, adding that they helped “preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence.”I would like to renew Lebanon’s commitment to the universal ethical values of the UN Charter that guide its diplomacy and programs in mediation and conflict resolution. These values are the basis of intercultural dialogue,” the premier added.Hariri also reiterated his commitment to parity between Lebanese Christians and Muslims as a unique model of coexistence and dialogue.”Equal power sharing between Christians and Muslims is what makes Lebanon a unique hub for dialogue between different cultures,” Hariri added.Hariri’s visit to the U.S. came at a time when regional security tensions rose after Israeli accusations that Syria was providing Hizbullah with Scud missiles. Israel says the party has stockpiled sophisticated weaponry which could alter military balance in the region.According to a senior State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity, Secretary of State Assistant for Foreign Affairs Jeffry Feltman also discussed Monday with Hariri “the importance of the upcoming vote on the resolution for new UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.”Lebanon, which has members from Hizbullah as part of the government, is perceived to be one of the countries on the 15-member UN Security Council opposed to new sanctions against Iran. The others are Turkey and Brazil.Earlier Wednesday, Hariri warned against stalled Middle East peace negotiations, saying failure to reach peace would promote extremism and terrorism in the region.”Moderate and Muslim Arab states might be surpassed if time passes without establishing peace,” Hariri said, in a speech at Georgetown University.”Time is running out for all of us to face global dangers given the increase of extremism and terrorism; the solution is not a military one or through security measures. It is simply through ending despair. Now it is time for work,” he added.Hariri stressed that any resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be based on the Arab Peace Initiative launched in Beirut in 2002.”We should understand that the Mideast issue is not an issue concerning only our region but the world; the incapacity to reach a just resolution to put an end to Palestinian suffering … is a vital issue for all of us,” the Lebanese premier said.Later, Hariri met with head of the Congressional Foreign Affairs committee Senator John Kerry.On Tuesday, Hariri emphasized Lebanon’s shared principles of democracy and independence with the U.S. as he voiced hope during a meeting with U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi.For her part, Pelosi stressed the U.S. commitment to help Lebanon implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.-Compiled reports