MP Samir Franjieh said Sunday Syrian President Bashar Assad's declared intention to set up diplomatic ties with Lebanon is an "exceptionally important indication."

Franjieh, in a radio interview, said the Doha Accord settlement being applied in Lebanon was reached after Hizbullah's agenda got deadlocked.

"The invasion of Beirut (in May) was bigger than what Hizbullah is capable of containing," he stressed.

Pressures exerted after the Doha accord and the election of President Michel Suleiman were aimed at "speeding up efforts to form the cabinet," according to Franjieh.

Meanwhile, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun "practiced blackmail in an effort to achieve gains and Hizbullah tried to the last moment to block efforts to form the cabinet by nominating Ali Qanso," he added.

The 2009 parliamentary elections would not be feasible if Hizbullah maintained its weapons, according to Franjieh.

"If someone believes that the elections would be held under the existing circumstances then he is wrong," Franjieh stressed.

"How can elections be organized while one party is armed and the other is not?" he asked.

"The invasion of Beirut exposed the fact that not all factions are armed," Franjieh noted.

He said Lebanon is heading towards major changes, including "the topic of arms and placing them outside the frame of the internal balance (of powers)."