BEIRUT, Lebanon - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's surprise visit to Lebanon Friday marked the first time in years a US government official did not coordinate the trip with Syria, which ended a 29-year military presence in its smaller neighbor in April, Arab newspapers said.

The Saudi-owned London daily Al-Hayat highlighted the break in tradition Saturday, saying: "It's the first time in a long time that an American official of this rank came to Beirut without passing through or also visiting Damascus."

Syria was a strong ally of the United States during the 1990-91 Gulf War, but the bond turned sour as Damascus's Baathist regime viewed the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a bid to impose Washington's vision on the region.

US-led pressure forced Syria to pull out its troops barely two months after five-time Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri was assassinated in a seafront bomb blast that opponents of Damascus blamed on the intelligence apparatus established by Syria during its long dominance.

"Rice came to Beirut from Jerusalem, not via Damascus," said the Beirut daily An-Nahar, recalling "in the past discussions between American officials and their Lebanese counterparts were held in coordination with negotiations in Damascus."

The United States has kept up steady pressure on Syria over its support of Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, which Washington regards as a "terrorist" group, and allegations it allows foreign fighters to infiltrate Iraq to aid Sunni Arab insurgents.

But even the appointment of a Hezbollah minister to prime minister-designate Fuad Siniora's new cabinet did not prevent Rice from promising strong cooperation with his government.

Rice also held talks with pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whom many US officials have declined to meet because of his alignment with Damascus.

Some Beirut newspapers criticized her meeting with Lahoud for giving legitimacy to controversial extension of the under-fire head of state's mandate, which was controversially extended for three years under a Damascus-inspired constitutional amendment last fall.

Anti-Syrian politicians accuse security chiefs responsible to Lahoud of complicity in Hariri's assassination and eight other bombings that have rocked Lebanon this year, although the charge is firmly rejected by both the head of state and his Syrian backers.

Rice broke off a round of diplomacy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to make the first visit to Beirut by a senior US official since her predecessor Colin Powell in May 2003.

During her quick visit, Rice stressed her support for democratic reform in Lebanon, which Washington views as a country that can set an example for others in the region.

"What I am here to do is to support the new Lebanon. And the new Lebanon is one that is democratic. The new Lebanon is one that should be free of foreign influence," Rice said.

Copyright © 1999-2005 Lenanonwire^®.com. All rights reserved.