"I assure you that Syria will not return to Lebanon under any circumstances," Aoun said following a meeting of his Parliamentary bloc.

He said Damascus is ready to discuss anything which is bothering Lebanon, but he added that two issues were not discussed during his visit to Syria: the upcoming parliamentary elections and internal Lebanese problems.

Aoun's five-day visit to Syria last week has been described by Lebanon's opposition as "a historic visit," but incurred criticism by the ruling coalition, which have voiced fear that the Syrian regime is trying to return its hegemony over Lebanon.

Aoun holds no official post in Lebanon, but he is an influential political figure who is an ally of the Shiite Hezbollah movement in the opposition, which is backed by Damascus.

Syria and Lebanon formally launched diplomatic ties in October after years of tense relations following the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri, which was blamed on Damascus. But Syria denied any role.

Bilateral ties improved only after an agreement in May in Doha between Lebanon's pro-Western majority and pro-Syrian opposition to end their months-long political crisis and elect Michel Suleiman as president. Syria was deemed to have played a productive role in it. -Xinhua