RAMALLAH - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday warned against the eruption of "regional war" in the Middle East, amid twin Israeli offensives on southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
"The rise of military operations in Lebanon make us fear a regional war which would banish chances of peace, stability and security in the Middle East," Abbas told a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
The moderate Palestinian president called on "regional forces" to bring an end to what he called the "dangerous tensions".
07/13/2006 11:42 GMT