BEIRUT, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Majority MP Saad Hariri on Thursday called Hezbollah to remove the siege off Beirut, open the airport and pull out gunmen from the streets to preserve "the unity of the Muslims."

    Hariri said in a statement that what is happening in Beirut is "a war between Shiites and Sunnis."

    He called Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to "lift the siege of Beirut to salvage Lebanon from hell and to safeguard unity of the Muslims."

    Hariri proposed a solution for the current crisis, including: putting the two decisions of the cabinet in the custody of the Lebanese army; withdrawing all gunmen from the streets; electing immediately Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president; starting national dialogue under sponsorship of Gen. Michel Suleiman.

    Addressing Nasrallah, Hariri said "if you accept this proposal, you prove that your objective is to solve the problem and not takeover the government."

    Earlier Thursday, Nasrallah said the government made a "declaration of war" which he said would be confronted in "self-defense."

    His warning came after the government on Tuesday declared the group's telecommunications network illegal and a threat to state security.

    The cabinet also decided to dismiss the security chief of the country's only international airport Wafik Shqaier over his alleged links to Hezbollah.

    Those cabinet decisions sparked clashes between the government supporters and the opposition Hezbollah during the past two days with gunfights in several parts of the country, with roads blocked and Beirut's airport shut down.

    Two people were killed and five wounded in fierce clashes in western Beirut on Thursday, local Naharnet news website reported.