ANKARA: Turkey is ready to help in resolving Lebanon’s political crisis if asked to do so as instability in Lebanon would spread to the region, said a senior Turkish official Thursday.

“Turkey is always ready to contribute to a solution [for the Lebanese crisis] if it is asked to do so; it supports any effort to come up with a solution,” said Ersat Hurmuzlo, a senior adviser on Middle Eastern affairs to Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

But the official said that Ankara would not impose its solution on any Lebanese side. “The solution should come from Lebanese factions,” he said.

Hurmuzlo made his remarks at the Presidential Palace in Ankara to a group of Lebanese journalists who are in the country for a five-day visit to the country at the invitation of the prime minister’s office.

Lebanon’s national unity government collapsed Wednesday after more than two months of paralysis over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (S.T.L.).

The Hezbollah-led March 8 ministers resigned from Cabinet after their demand that it boycott the S.T.L. went unheeded. The S.T.L. was established by the U.N. to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and a number of political figures.

Hezbollah expects the Netherlands-based court to indict “rogue” members from the party, while strongly denying any involvement. Analysts fear that the impending indictment might spark strife in the country.

Hurmuzlo said the Lebanese should restore national unity and resolve their disputes through calm dialogue.

“We prefer that all sides abide by the proper logic to achieve national unity to rescue Lebanon … irrespective of the side that prompted the schism,” he said, adding that a way out of the impasse may result if both sides exchanged concessions.

Hurmuzlo said “there are ongoing contacts between regional states interested in the Lebanese issue.”

He stressed that neglecting the situation in Lebanon would jeopardize regional stability.

“All countries in the region, along with the international community, will contribute to the solution; the situation in Lebanon will not be neglected by the international community or regional players, because it affects stability in the region, which in turn affects hot conflicts, including that of Palestine,” he said.

Hurmuzlo said both stability and justice could be achieved in the Hariri assassination case.

“[U.S.] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said [Wednesday] that members and not groups could be held responsible for [Hariri’s assassination]; maybe this will be a kind of a solution to the crisis,” he said.

As for whether Turkey was behaving as a European or Middle Eastern state, Hurmuzlo said “Turkey is in a distinguished position … It has one foot in the West and the other in the East, and it is a center where cultures live in accord.”

Hurmuzlo said that Turkey was trying to eliminate the causes of crises before they break out in the region, highlighting his country’s support for efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability.

Asked whether he expected any Israeli aggression against Lebanon, Hurmuzlo said “the region is pregnant with surprises.”

He called the two-state solution the best option for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as he highlighted the need to enhance unity among Palestinians “to constitute a force that demands its rights before the international community.”