He described the meeting as "not ordinary" and "very warm, particularly because there is a special sentiment between him (Nasrallah) and I."

But Aoun did not disclose where he met Nasrallah or what they have discussed.

Nasrallah has gone into hiding since the Israel-Hezbollah war that was sparked on July 12 by the group's kidnapping of two soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid. But the Hezbollah Secretary General has only once appeared in public at a "divine victory rally" in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

Aoun's remarks came in an interview with As-Safir daily published Saturday.

On his opinion of a national dialogue, Aoun said that there were two forces pulling the country in different directions.

"A popular force that enjoys vivid strength and determination to rebuild the country; and a political force which still dominates the Lebanese decision-making," he explained, in a clear reference to the March 14 Forces from one side, and Hezbollah and Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement on the other.

However the former army general expressed willingness to "sit together … unconditionally" with parliament's majority leader Saad Hariri and PSP chief Walid Jumblatt, Aoun's major foes.

Aoun also slammed the Taef accord which has put an end to the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war, accusing it of trimming the Christians.

"That (Taef) accord had margined half the Lebanese, which means it had margined all the Christians; and we will not accept to remain margined," Aoun said.

Aoun was skeptical about taking part in a national unity government, "because by the mere participation in such a government I will be inheriting 15 previous yeas that have led to all the collapse." This is contrary to Hezbollah’s call for including Aoun in a new government

Aoun and Nasrallah have been repeatedly calling for the resignation of Premier Fouad Siniora's government and the formation of a national unity government.

In a separate interview with the New TV news channel, Aoun adopted Syrian President Bashar Assad's repeated declarations that an international tribunal in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri was "premature."

Aoun, who was defeated by Syrian and allied Lebanese forces in October 1990 and forced into exile, dismissed as "inappropriate" to maintain "hostile attitudes" towards Damascus following the withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon in April 2005.

Aoun discarded as "irresponsible" the vehement head-on with Syria, which is being accused of involvement in Hariri's murder and the ensuing bombing attacks which targeted leading figures of the March 14 Forces.

Aoun will hold a rally on Sunday to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the victims of the 1990 Syrian onslaught on Lebanon. Hundreds of Lebanese were harshly arrested and taken to Syrian jails. The whereabouts and fate of many of them remain unknown.

The retired general hit back at Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir who has voiced fears of a Christian rift, saying: "there is no consensus in democracy. There is a minority and a majority. Hence, there is no crisis in the Christian status."

Aoun's evening remarks came after a pledge by Sfeir to all the Lebanese, particularly the Christians, "to go back to your originality," calling on them to join forces and work hand-in-hand "to lift up your country from this dilemma."

In his Friday's speech at Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Catholics, Sfeir expressed distress over the Christian split in Lebanon "into diverse groups."

Picture: General Michel Aoun ( R) with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

Source: Nahanet, Ya Libnan