"I am going to Syria with my head held high," Aoun told a press conference ahead of his planned visit this week, without revealing a specific date.
"They are welcoming me with admiration and respect... I was a rival and the rivalry has ended and I may become a friend," he added.
He said he saw no reason not to go to Syria given that Damascus withdrew its troops from its tiny neighbor in 2005 and that diplomatic ties between both countries were officially launched in October.
"This is a friendly and introductory visit," he said.
Aoun's visit has come under fire from members of the ruling anti-Syrian parliamentary majority who accuse him of being a turncoat and of kow-towing to his former adversaries for political gain.
A former army chief, Aoun was headed a Christian government when he was forced into exile after being defeated in a Syrian offensive in 1990 at the end of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.
He had declared a "war of liberation" against Syrian forces.
Aoun returned in May 2005, a month after Damascus ended 29 years of military domination in the aftermath of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
He said his Lebanese foes would do better to clean up their own act rather point fingers. "In my talks... tomorrow in Syria or yesterday in Iran or any country in the world... the issue will be Lebanon not Michel Aoun," Aoun said.
Aoun, 73, stunned Lebanon in 2006 when he entered an alliance with the Iran- and Syria-backed Hizbullah, a move that is thought to have caused his popularity to slip.
Syria and Lebanon launched diplomatic ties for the first time in October after years of tense relations following the Hariri murder. Syria was widely blamed for the killing but denies involvement.
Aoun also caused a stir when he visited Iran in October and held talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Tags: Aoun, Diplomatic relations, Hezbollah, Iran, source: Naharnet, Syria, Ya Libnan
