BEIRUT, Lebanon - Druze leader Walid Jumblat said that he has been lying to the Syrians for almost 25 years and stressed that the Hizbullah-led opposition can only have veto power "over our dead bodies."

"I am not a real ally to (the) Syrians and I am lying to them," Jumblat said in an interview with Iran's Press TV.

He charged that his father, Kamal Jumblat, was killed by the Syrians.

"I decided to fix a pact with the devil and to shake hand (with) the one who killed my father," Jumblat said in English, denouncing the fact that he had not the courage to declare the claim 25 years ago.

Jumblat implicitly admitted that he is ready to cooperate with Americans rather than his fellow citizens, accusing Hizbullah of facilitating or ignoring Syrian killings, Press TV said on its website.

"I will not give the veto power for the sake of Hizbullah and their allies and the Syrian regime," he said.

"They can take it by force over our dead bodies" but "I am not going to give up the veto power for the sake of Hizbullah," Jumblat stressed.

"We didn't ignore them (Hizbullah) but we will not give the blocking minority which means to topple the Taef (Accord) and to topple all the power of the government," said Jumblat.

He stressed that his Progressive Socialist Party's presidential candidate is Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman, adding that the March 14 alliance will "stick" to its commitment. -Naharnet