Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Friday called for a "world leadership" to force all the parties to the Middle East conflict to negotiate, describing U.S. President Barack Obama as the "ideal person" to head the effort.
Israel does not have an "authentic interest" in reaching a "wide- ranging and fair" peace arrangement with the Arab world, Hariri claimed at an economic forum on the second day of his official visit to Spain.
The Obama administration has a sincere commitment to promote peace, Hariri said, also stressing the importance of the Spanish European Union presidency.
He urged the international community to pressure Israel with measures such as "cutting off some aid" to the country.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Thursday joined Hariri in urging Israel to help create the conditions for peace.
Hariri's statement came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told close aides Wednesday that Israel would not accept a Middle East peace agreement that is forced on it by external forces.
Netanyahu said an external arrangement "won't work and it won't be acceptable if a settlement is forced on us," stressing the need to ensure proper security arrangements as part of any future peace deal.
For that end, the PM reportedly said, Israel would have to retain a military presence along its eastern border with Jordan, adding that any agreement that doesn't allow for those measure will not be accepted.
Netanyahu's comments came as the Washington Post quoted senior U.S. officials as saying earlier Wednesday that President Barack Obama was weighing the possibility of submitting a new American Middle East peace plan by this fall.