BEIRUT: Lebanon cannot afford to take sides in any country’s internal affairs, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Tuesday, after the government disassociated itself last week from the U.N. Security Council’s statement condemning violence against Syrian protesters.

“We cannot take sides in any internal problem in brotherly and friendly countries because then it would drag Lebanon into a bigger problem …so why drag ourselves into problems that would shake our national stability?” Mikati said during his speech Tuesday.

The country cannot support “violence and bloodshed that is not justifiable,” Mikati added.

Lebanon’s decision to disassociate itself from the UNSC statement sparked fiery debate between the country’s rival political factions.

“Our responsibility is to protect Lebanon and strengthen its stability and work to revive its economic and social status instead of participating in some political show,” Mikati said.

March 14 lawmakers have condemned the five-month crackdown on Syrian protesters, describing Lebanon’s decision over the statement as shameful and evidence of Cabinet’s failure to support basic human rights.

Some members of the March 8 alliance, meanwhile, who have adopted Assad’s stance that some of the protests are a conspiracy against the country, said the decision would benefit the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Opposition and human rights groups estimate that between 1,600 and 1,900 civilians have been killed in Syria since March.