BEIRUT: Officials from across the political spectrum praised Wednesday the spiritual summit, held the day before by Lebanon’s top Christian and Muslim leaders, for its message of coexistence and national unity.

Hezbollah said Dar al-Fatwa’s summit was a success in “form and content.”

“The summit was an important event, a unified message and stance which expressed the national principles of coexistence and the protection of Lebanon,” Hezbollah said.

“In content, its title was national unity … it relies on dialogue and believes in the obligation of liberating the land. It is a summit of solidarity in confronting attempts to spark strife and to permanently settle Palestinian refugees under any pretext,” said the party.

For his part, President Michel Sleiman telephoned Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, extending his congratulations on the results of the summit.

Sleiman voiced hope that Qabbani and other religious leaders in Lebanon would continue promoting consensus and coexistence among the Lebanese with further success.

At Tuesday’s summit, leaders highlighted the importance of the deep-rooted and historic presence of Christians in the Levant and also appealed to rival political leaders to avoid violent rhetoric and adopt dialogue as a means to resolve divisive issues.

The leaders also said Lebanon, which is strong in its national unity, the solidarity of its Arab brethren and the respect of the international community, is committed to rejecting the permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees on its territory and upholds their right of return according to U.N. Security Council Resolution 194, the summit’s statement said.

The leaders said that working to liberate Lebanese and Arab lands still under Israeli occupation and liberate Muslim and Christian sacred shrines is “a collective national and Arab duty.”

Beirut MP Ammar Houri, a Future Movement official, saluted the statement, saying it “affirmed principles and was based on the Taif Accord.”

“This is welcomed, as it [the statement] avoided touching on two fundamental issues, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and [Hezbollah’s] arms, because it was demanded that this summit highlight shared views since it is not a political summit but spiritual alone,” Houri, a lawmaker for Beirut, told a local radio station.

Beirut MP Imad Hout, from Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, commended the summit’s statement as “very balanced since it stresses coexistence in Lebanon and the importance of dialogue.”

Speaking to Ash-Sharq radio station, Hout said that any such meeting between the Lebanese is welcomed in this “critical period, but [it] should be held based on clear principles.”

Zahrani MP Ali Osseiran, from Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc, praised the staging of the summit along with its results.

“The meeting … is very important and serves Lebanon’s high interests. We hope that it will lead to practical steps and continue to preserve Lebanon and its vital interests,” Osseiran said in a statement.