Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Tuesday called on the Arab states to “share the burden” of hosting the Syrian refugees.

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Tuesday called on the Arab states to “share the burden” of hosting the Syrian refugees and urged them to seek the release of nine Lebanese pilgrims abducted by an armed group in the Syrian town of Aazaz, Naharnet news website reported.

“The number of Syrian refugees has increased and it is now equivalent to one quarter of Lebanon's population. Although the Lebanese state has decided not to close the border, the situations indicate that the security problems will increase and this requires a serious discussion in order to find a solution to this aggravating problem in a country based on delicate checks and balances,” the President said in his address at the Arab Summit in Doha.

“To avoid very grave problems, I urge the Arab brothers to consider calling for an international conference on Syrian refugees that does not settle for financial support, but also seeks ways to share the burden and split the numbers,” Sleiman urged.

The president also suggested forming an Arab committee tasked with overseeing the issue of refugees.

Suleiman called on Syrian opposition groups to "refrain from using Lebanon as a launch pad for their military operations."

"I urge all the parties concerned with the Lebanese affairs to realize the importance of strict adherence to the Baabda Declaration and I urge all parties to abide by its content," the president added.

He also called on Arab tourists to return to Lebanon, stressing that "the Lebanese state's policy is very keen on the best relations with the brotherly Arab countries and we stress our rejection of interference in these countries' domestic affairs."

Turning to the issue of the Lebanese abductees in Syria's Aazaz, Sleiman said: "How is it acceptable that the Aazaz abductees have been in custody for more than nine months."

The president urged the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi to "exert all efforts to free them as soon as possible."

“We hope to move forward towards sparing Lebanon the threat of violence and steering it away from the regional crises,” he stated.

Commenting on the participation of the Syrian opposition in the summit, Sleiman added: “To spare the Lebanese any strife or violence … we dissociate ourselves from the (summit's) resolution on Syria.”