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Rice visits Lebanon, honors slain leader
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday in Lebanon placed a wreath at the grave of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister and opposition leader slain in February. During her surprise trip to Lebanon on her Middle East visit, Rice also met with Hariri's son, Sa'ad Hariri, who is a member of parliament and head of one of the largest blocs in the assembly in the new government. Rafik Hariri -- who led the country's pro-Syrian government and later became an advocate for Syria's withdrawal -- and 16 others died in a bomb blast along Beirut's waterfront on February 14. His assassination triggered massive protests and renewed international pressure for Syria to withdraw the nearly 14,000 troops and intelligence officers it had kept in Lebanon for nearly three decades. The United States was among the loudest voices pressuring the Syrian government to withdraw from Lebanon. On late April, the last contingent of Syrian troops left Lebanon. Rice arrived in Lebanon after visiting Israel, where she met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ahead of Israel's planned pullout from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. On the plane to Lebanon, she told reporters, "This will be an opportunity, first of all, to congratulate the Lebanese people on their incredible desire for democracy and the fact that they keep pressing forward and now formed a government." She visited the Hariri family's Beirut compound and met for about 45 minutes with Sa'ad Hariri. Rice also met with President Emile Lahoud and Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh at the country's presidential palace for about 30 minutes. A senior State Department official said Rice would discuss ways the United States could help Lebanon with debt relief. Lebanon's domestic and foreign debt at the end of May was estimated to be more than $35 billion. "I look forward to meeting with some members of the government to see how the international community and the U.S. in particular can be supportive," Rice said. The last stage of Lebanon's four-round elections finished in June. Asked whether the visit was intended to send a signal to Syria, Rice said, "We don't do that." A senior U.S. official traveling with Rice said the Syrians "already know our message." He added, "The fact that we're making it [the visit] is sign enough of the changes made in Lebanon. We're not going to Damascus before or after." Previous secretaries of state, such as Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright, often stopped in Damascus while on trips to the Middle East. Rice's trip to the troubled region is her third since taking over her post in January. Rice visits IsraelIsrael's disengagement plan, set to be implemented in mid-August, has sent rivals jockeying for position. Recent violence has pitted Israelis against Palestinians, Palestinian militants against Palestinian security forces, and Israeli police against Gaza and West Bank settlers. At a Thursday news conference with Israel Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Rice said all parties need to remain steadfast in commitments toward peace. "I look forward to talking with both the Israelis and the Palestinians about the need for tight coordination and rapid resolution of key issues that are before the parties in advance of the disengagement," Rice said. Shalom praised the secretary of state's commitment to the Middle East peace process. "Your commitment to restoring calm and ensuring the success of the disengagement plan will hopefully have the desired and necessary effect, and we thank you for that." Separately, a senior State Department official denied Israeli media reports that Rice, in her meeting with Shalom, had put forward a U.S. plan for holding an international conference designed to ease tensions with Israel's Arab neighbors -- an event that reports said would be sponsored by the United States and Russia. "Some have suggested an international conference could be a complement to road map activities. This would not be a U.S. proposal," the official said. The "road map" for Middle East peace -- backed by the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- calls for a series of steps by the Israelis and Palestinians aimed at ending violence and establishing an independent Palestinian state. Rice is scheduled to meet with Palestinian leaders on Saturday. CNN's Andrea Koppel and John Vause contributed to this report. 
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