BEIRUT, April 20 (News Agencies) – Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri said on Saturday that Lebanon would boycott next week's meeting in Spain of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership (EuroMed), citing the fact that Israeli would be attending, news agencies reported.

Hariri was speaking after a meeting with the European Union representative in Beirut, Patrick Renaud, and explaining why Lebanon had called for postponing the signing at the cooperation deal meeting with the EU, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"Lebanon would like to sign the deal as soon as possible, but unfortunately this comes at the same time as the EuroMed meeting, which we will not be attending because of the presence of Israel and of what is going on in the West Bank between the Palestinians and the Israelis."

On Friday, a government source said Lebanon had asked for the signing, set to take place on the sidelines of the meeting in Valencia, be postponed.

That came on the heels of confirmation by Syria, that it would boycott the two-day conference, set to begin on Monday.

A senior Syrian foreign ministry official said that "out of respect for the sentiments of the Arab and Palestinian people, Syria has informed the European Union that it was impossible for it to participate in the meeting in Valencia.

"The presence of one party who snaps its finger at all constructive dialogue makes this meeting useless," he added on condition of anonymity.

"The Israeli government could even consider this meeting as an acceptance of its racist policies and as a reward for the challenge it has thrown at the international community."

Lebanon and Syria on Wednesday asked the EU to ban Israel from attending the EuroMed meeting for its "barbaric aggressions" against the Palestinians.

But EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten said the same day that "Israel's presence in Valencia is essential for the success of the conference."

On Saturday, the Lebanese foreign ministry repeated the call for barring Israel from the conference, AFP reported.

"Israel occupies Palestinian towns and villages, commits massacres and refuse to bend to international resolutions. Under these conditions, it is impossible to sit down at the same table as the Israeli foreign minister (Shimon Peres) at a time when Israel is carrying out aggression against a founding member of the EuroMed conference, the Palestinian Authority," a statement said.

"Lebanon has asked Spain, the current president of the EU, to suspend the participation of Israel and that the EuroMed plenary meeting be substituted by a meeting between the EU and the Arab countries, but we have not received a reply to our two requests," it added.

In the meantime, Hariri said Lebanon was open to signing the deal with the EU whenever that could be arranged.

"We are ready to sign the deal next week, in two weeks, any time," Hariri said. "The commission will fix the date. I personally will do everything I can to go with the appropriate minister."

For his part, Renaud said he hoped the accord could be signed as soon as possible.  "The signature of this accord is a strong signal," he said. "It is not just a deal to create a free-trade zone, it is a very important political accord."

The so-called Barcelona process was launched in 1995 to foster more cooperation between the 15-nation EU and 12 Mediterranean partners, including Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Syria's ambassador to Spain, Mohsen Bilal, warned earlier Friday that his country would not attend the April 22-23 meeting unless Israel is kept away.

"We cannot tolerate Israel's brutality towards the Palestinian people, our brothers," Bilal said.

The Euro-Med partnership includes the 15-nation EU, plus Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

Representatives of Libya, Mauritania, the Arab League and the Arab Maghreb Union have also been given customary invitations.

Patrick Renauld, the EU's representative in Beirut, said "the European Commission considers that it would be a mistake for (the Barcelona Process) to become a hostage of the (Middle East) peace process."

Meanwhile, Muslim leaders in Lebanon called Friday for a boycott of U.S. goods to punish the United States for its support of Israel.

"Boycott American products as much as you can, so that the United States knows that the people are punishing to their utmost ability those who stand by their enemy," Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said in his Friday prayer sermon.

Fadlallah is one of the leading figures in the growing popular boycott campaign against U.S.-made products in Lebanon, which has seen sit-ins in fast food outlets and a drop in the sales of American cigarettes.

The holder of the Lebanese franchise for the McDonald's hamburger chain, Jean Zoghzoghi, inserted a disclaimer in Friday's press denying rumors that the group had made a donation to Israel.