He was reacting to President Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement on Sunday that France would have no more contact with Syria until Damascus showed a willingness to let Lebanon find a new president.

Damascus revealed on Monday that despite the threat, the French presidency had twice contacted Foreign Minister Walid Muallem earlier in the day.

"Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has received two phone calls this morning from the secretary general of the Elysee, Claude Gueant, concerning the efforts of Syria and France to reach a consensual settlement of the Lebanon crisis," the official news agency SANA reported.

"The talks have led to a means of helping the Lebanese parties overcome the political crisis and reach a consensus solution with regard to guaranteeing the security and stability of Lebanon," the agency said.

Bilal said earlier that Syria had reached agreement with France on the outlines of an overall settlement to the crisis and was prepared to use its influence but not put pressure on the Lebanese opposition to accept the deal.

"If people are asking us to put pressure on Syria's friends, we have made no agreement to do that," he told the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

"We have reached agreement with the French and with our friends on a package deal to arrive at an overall settlement.

"We are using our influence with those who like us in Lebanon to proceed to the election of a consensus candidate."

During a news conference in Cairo on Sunday, Sarkozy accused Syria of failing to match its words about wanting a settlement to Lebanon's 13-month-old political crisis with deeds on the ground.

"We are now waiting for acts on Syria's part and not speeches," he said. France "will have no more contact with Syria... until we have proof of Syrian willingness to let Lebanon appoint a president by consensus."

Bilal said Syria remained willing to work with France for a solution despite Sarkozy's comments.

"We didn't interpret them as an implicit accusation. Relations have been continuing until now despite the comments and we are working with the French to extricate Lebanon from this crisis."

But the minister lashed out at any suggestion that Damascus was meddling in its smaller neighbour's affairs.

"Who's interfering in Lebanon's affairs? If this accusation is true, it's the French who are interfering, not us. We don't go to Lebanon as (French Foreign Minister Bernard) Kouchner and others have been doing. They visit and we help them."

Kouchner has made seven visits to Beirut in the space of six months to shuttle between the Western-backed government and the Syrian- and Iranian-backed opposition.

Washington has also sent a senior envoy to try to broker a deal.

On Friday, a parliament session called to elect a president was postponed until January 12, the 11th time that a vote had been put off.

The two sides have agreed on army chief Michel Sleiman as a compromise choice to fill the vacant candidacy, but they remain at odds over a new government line-up.

The opposition pulled its six ministers out of the cabinet in November 2006 and has since demanded the formation of a government of national unity embracing all of the country's myriad confessional and political groups.. -AFP