SANAA, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Wednesday that he expected the Arab countries to be united in an effort to find solutions to the questions facing the Arab world.

    In a televised speech, Saleh said the Arab countries should realize that they have failed to demonstrate unity and coordination, notably recently in the face of a UN Security Council resolution on Hariri probe.

    Syria on Monday called for an emergency summit of the 22-member Arab League in a bid to rally regional support as it denies accusations of its involvement in the the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

    But Arab diplomats suggested a smaller gathering of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Lebanon and Egypt should others decline out of concern over harming ties with the UN resolution's key sponsors-- the United States, France and Britain.

    In his speech, Saleh expressed his hope that the Arab countriescould demonstrate unprecedented unity during the summit of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference scheduled for next month in Saudi Arabia.

    Saleh said at a time when many other counties are actively engaged in dialogue to deepen mutual understanding, the Arab world should spare no efforts to overcome all the suspicions and end the long-standing disputes.

    The president urged all parties of Palestine to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority in an effort to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital in the interests of all the Palestinian people.

    He condemned Israel's military actions that have been escalating recently and called on the international community to stop Israel's "invasion" into the Palestinian territory.

    Saleh also urged all parties of Iraq to be united in defending the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and in making every effort to restore the country's security and stability. Enditem