Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that Lebanon's only option to rescue it from political turmoil is national dialogue and pledged that he would continue attending the talks in spite of potential security threats to his safety.

Nasrallah made his remarks shortly after authorities uncovered a ring which was plotting violent attacks in Lebanon, including the Hizbullah leader's possible assassination during the next session of dialogue talks on April 28 in downtown Beirut.

"I will attend the dialogue sessions whatever the political and security difficulties because there is no other choice," Nasrallah told a crowd of supporters during a speech in Beirut's southern suburbs on the occasion of Prophet Mohammed's birthday.

The Hizbullah leader sought to appease fears that the foiled attempt on his life would spark Shiite-Sunni violence after the group was reported to include Lebanese and Palestinian Sunni extremists.

He also reprimanded Lebanese officials for downplaying the plot to assassinate him by saying it was in the stage of planning not implementation.

"Even if this group had carried out its plan, the Sunnis in Lebanon should not be held responsible. This is unjust and contradicts Koranic teachings," said Nasrallah referring to Islam's holy book.

The charismatic cleric, whose speech included many references to the Lebanese civil war's 31st anniversary, said there would be no recurrence of sectarian violence in the country in spite of attempts by the United States and Israel to reignite strife.

"The real national plan in Lebanon is peace, harmony between the communities and building a nation," he said adding that it was the responsibility of all Lebanese to act sensibly in order to achieve these goals.

On the fate of President Emile Lahoud, that the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority is seeking to depose, Nasrallah said those opposed to the head of state may have to come to terms with the possibility of his remaining in power until the end of his extend mandate in 2007.

"If we reach a solution on April 28, then great. However, if we don't, this would mean that the president is staying and the parliamentary majority as well as cabinet have to co-exist with the president and cooperate with him until the end of his term for Lebanon's sake," Nasrallah said.

Participants at the talks have set the next session as the last chance to discuss the presidency. If no agreement is reached, the top 14 rival political leaders will move on to the last subject on the agenda: Hizbullah's weapons.

The issue is being discussed as one of the articles of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 that calls on all militias in Lebanon to lay down their arms.

Hizbullah argues that its armed wing is not a militia but a resistance group. Nasrallah reiterated this argument.

"For us Lebanese, due to the memory of the civil war, the word militia is not a good word. That is why we insist on the word resistance," he said.

"Let the whole world know that we have written all the letters of the word 'resistance' with the blood of thousands of martyrs…we are not talking about a commercial company or a bank but about the blood of people, their sweat and their future," he added.

Hizbullah spearheaded a campaign against Israeli troops in the South that led to the withdrawal of the Jewish state's forces in 2000, ending a 22-year occupation.

The group's leader said Lebanon needs a "defense strategy" to protect it from any future Israeli aggression.

"We need a force that would protect Lebanon. What and who is this force? This should be discussed," he said

However, Nasrallah said he rejected the argument that Lebanon's 1949 armistice with Israel and guarantees from international powers such as the United States would provide enough assurance against possible future attacks by the Jewish state.