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Israel's raids on Lebanon a criminal act: Mubarak

CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in remarks published on Monday that Israel's recent air strikes on Lebanon amounted to a criminal act and were stirring hatred of the Jewish state.

"Anyone who thinks that committing a criminal act can go unnoticed is making a big mistake," Mubarak told the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA).

"What Israel is doing against Lebanon is deepening hatred in the Arab World. The massive killing and destruction can have dire consequences later, if not sooner."

Israel staged a series of air raids against Lebanon last week, bombing three power stations and wounding at least 20 people. The attacks retaliated for the killing of several Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon by Hizbollah guerrillas.

Mubarak called for a halt to the bloodshed and destruction of Lebanese infrastructure, demanding a shift to the negotiating table to reach a comprehensive Middle East peace.

"Israel occupies Arab land and destroys Lebanese facilities and kills civilians, and this necessitates that the world act expeditiously," he said.

"There must be commitment to the land-for-peace principle. No one in the Arab World accepts to cede one inch of Arab land.

"We wish a just, comprehensive and permanent peace, under which the region's peoples can deal with each other without complexes or hatred," Mubarak said.

Egypt, a key mediator in Middle East peace-making, has maintained a cool peace with Israel since becoming the first Arab state to sign a treaty with the Jewish state in 1979.-Reuters