Tufeili was sacked from the party on Jan. 24, 1998, after a months-long civil disobedience campaign that he called "hunger revolt" in the impoverished Baalbek-Hermel region of the Bekaa.

His mutiny was crushed by army troops in a crackdown that left three soldiers plus Tufeili's right-hand dead. A warrant for Tufeili's arrest was issued for forming an armed gang and threatening national security and he took refuge in the rugged Hermel mountains near the Syrian border.

Tufeili first appeared in public in Dec. 2000 before supporters at a rally held outside his Hermel home with army troops stationed in the region abstaining from moving to arrest him. He has rarely appeared since.

"The Hizbullah leadership has formally announced that its mission is to protect the border. This is not their duty and not their role. They are actually insulting their weapons. This role is for the police and army," Tufeili said Monday.

He called on the Party of God to disarm and the Lebanese army to take its place along the border with Israel. He said he had "no relationship whatsoever" with the current Hizbullah leadership under Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Tufeili also blasted the upcoming elections and said the current election law was unfair.

"Authorities these days are cloning the old parliament through a large-scale forgery," Tufeili said. "These are fraudulent and dishonest elections," charging votes were already being 'bought' en masse.(with AP)