BEIJING, Sept. 4 -- The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has called on Lebanon to heed his requests for peace talks. However, his call has been rejected by the Lebanese Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora , who said that Lebanon would be the last Arab state to make peace with Israel. Lebanese Members of Parliament also dismissed the possibility of peace talks between Israel and Lebanon.

    Ehud Olmert was speaking at a ceremony to open the Israeli school year in Maalot Tars hiha - a northern town hit by dozens of rockets during the thirty-four days of fighting with Hezbollah guerrillas that ended in a ceasefire on August the fourteenth.

    Ehud Olmert said:"How natural, how understandable it would be if the Lebanese Prime Minister would reply to the many requests I passed on to him , through different people to sit down together, shake hands, make peace and for once and for all put an end to the fanaticism and the hatred that part of his nation shows towards us. I hope that this day will come soon."

    The Lebanese Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora, rejected his Israeli counterparts offer to make peace.

    The Lebanese Premier's media office said in a statement that Olmert had sent many invitations to Siniora to arrange the meeting, but the invitations were refused even before they arrived.

    Last week, Siniora said that Lebanon would be the "last Arab country that could sign a peace agreement with Israel".

    He also demanded that Israel implement UN Security Council Resolution 17-0-1 in full by withdrawing from Lebanon and lifting its air and sea blockade of the country.

    Some 1200 Lebanese and a 157 Israelis were killed in the recent fighting. Israeli attacks caused widespread damage in southern Lebanon and in parts of Beirut. Hezbollah fired nearly four thousand rockets at northern Israel, causing damage in numerous towns and villages.

    (Source: CCTV.com)

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    BEIRUT, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora rejected on Sunday Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert's call to hold a meeting, stating that Lebanon would be the last Arab state to make peace with Israel.

    Siniora made the rejection after Olmert Sunday appealed to his Lebanese counterpart to make peace with Israel.full story>>