BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman warned Sunday that isolating Syria could lead to foreign intervention and urged President Bashar Assad to implement the Arab League initiative to end the crisis after the organization voted Saturday to suspend Syria’s membership.

“Isolation carries dangers and it is possible it could lead to foreign intervention, but in return, the Syrian government should implement all reforms,” Sleiman told reporters during an official visit to the northern coastal city of Tripoli.

“In terms of isolating Syria, Lebanon is against it because the people [are the] ones who pay for it and [isolation] severs means for dialogue and no Syrian citizen should feel that they are not Arab,” Sleiman added.

The Arab League voted Saturday to suspend Syria’s membership at the organization. The suspension, which will take effect on Nov. 16, was approved by 18 member states. Syria, Lebanon and Yemen voted against the motion while Iraq abstained.

As well as imposing economic sanctions, the Arab League said the suspension would remain in force until Damascus abided in full with the initiative it signed up to on Nov. 2.

The Arab League deal called on Damascus to withdraw the Syrian Army from the streets; free political prisoners, grant reporters access to the country and launch dialogue with the opposition.

Speaking to a local television station earlier Sunday, Sleiman urged his Syrian counterpart to implement the Arab initiative in order to end the crisis in Syria, where the U.N. says over 3,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in a crackdown by Damascus since Mid-March.

“[I] urge Syrian President Bashar Assad to implement the provisions of the Arab League initiative,” Sleiman told MTV television station.

Commenting on Lebanon’s decision to vote against the Arab League decision, Sleiman said Lebanon had supported Arab League decision “in principle” but that it opposed isolating the Arab country.

“We did not stand in opposition to the Arab League’s resolution but we are against isolating a country in absolute terms,” Sleiman said.

Responding to questions by reporters later in the day in Tripoli, Sleiman said Lebanon supported democracy, “be it in Syria or other [countries] but it is not favorable to achieve political objectives via violent means to implement the Arab League initiative,” he said.

Sleiman also reiterated his call on the Syrian government to swiftly implement the needed reforms and launch dialogue with the opposition.

Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour’s vote against the Arab league plan, which also urged member states to withdraw their ambassadors to Syria, sent shockwaves throughout the country, prompting harsh criticism by March 14 coalition lawmakers, many of whom described the move as opposing “Arab consensus.”

Shortly after the Arab League announcement Saturday, Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri described Lebanon’s stance as “shameful.”

“It is shameful. I hope the Syrian people know that this government doesn’t represent the Lebanese will,” Hariri said during a live Q&A session on the popular micro-blogging site Twitter.