"We want to make it clear from now that we will want to establish a national unity government" with the Sunni-led coalition that is backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia, Nawaf al Mussawi, a top Hezbollah official, told AFP.

"No one can lead Lebanon on his own and without consensus," he said.

Mussawi added that Hezbollah, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Washington, felt confident of reversing the slim majority which its rivals currently hold in parliament.

The international community has made it clear that it would closely watch the parliamentary elections next year that could well see Hezbollah and its allies grab the majority.

Such a scenario would deal a major blow to the current Western-backed ruling parties in parliament which rode to power in 2005 amid a wave of anti-Syrian sentiment following the assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

Damascus has denied any role in the killing.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has veto power over major decisions in the current national unity government formed in July following a political crisis that brought Lebanon to the brink of civil war.

The crisis was defused following a Qatari-brokered deal in May that led toarmy commander Michel Sleiman being elected president, the formation of a national unity government and a new electoral law being drawn up. -AFP