By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured the son of an assassinated Lebanese prime minister Thursday that the Bush administration will keep pressure on neighboring Syria to respect Lebanon's independence.
Rice met with Saad Hariri, a leading political figure at home, in her office and invited in cameras to record the event.
Hariri heads the majority bloc in Lebanon's parliament. The assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri, in Beirut a year ago set in motion a UN campaign to stifle Syria's domination of Lebanon,
Syria, under UN pressure, withdrew its troops but its influence has not been entirely erased.
"We will continue to make sure there is no intimidation of the Lebanese people," Rice said, "and that Syria respects its obligations" under UN resolutions calling for it to withdraw its forces from the neighboring country.