Arab foreign ministers on Friday expressed their support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and called for an immediate halt to rival Palestinian factions' internal fighting.

After ending a six-hour emergency meeting here at the Arab League (AL) headquarters late Friday, the foreign ministers urged the battling Hamas and Fatah factions to keep unity in the Gaza Strip, eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank.

"We are seeking a national unity in Palestine and we stand against the events that we have witnessed in the last days," AL Secretary General Amr Moussa said.

He said there must be an "immediate and full halt" to the violence, adding that Arab nations want to "serve the Palestinian cause, and not one faction against another."

The AL ministerial meeting came after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip following days of deadly conflict with its rival party Fatah, led by Abbas.

It was the first time in decades for the Cairo-based AL to hold an emergent ministerial meeting on Palestinian internal fighting. Previous AL meetings have always focused on issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On Friday, Abbas chose Salam Fayyad, a political independent who was former finance minister of the Hamas-led unity government, as new prime minister, to replace Ismail Haneya of Hamas.

Abbas dissolved the unity government and declared a state of emergency on the Palestinian territories after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip.

The AL backed Abbas' decision to dissolve the unity government, saying the "legitimacy of his leadership" must be respected.

During the meeting, Arab foreign ministers also decided to set up a committee to follow up the situation on the Palestinian territories.

The committee on the Palestinian situation will submit a report within a month, said a joint statement issued after the emergency meeting.

On the situation in Lebanon, a committee will also be established to maintain contact with the Lebanese government, the parliament and various political factions in order to create suitable environment for a national dialogue in the country, the statement said.

Arab nations in the statement condemned the killing of Lebanese lawmaker Walid Eido in a car bombing attack in western Beirut on Wednesday afternoon.

Arab countries support Lebanon's efforts to stop terrorist activities in the country, calling for national unity of the Lebanese people and urging various political factions back to the negotiation table, said the statement.

In addition, Arab nations will help Lebanon deal with the issue of Palestinian refugee camp in the country and secure the border with Syria, it added.

Source: Xinhua