SHANNON - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday warned against diplomatic moves to solve Lebanon's serious political crisis by compromising with the country's pro-Syrian opposition.

"I think there is a lot of talk right now about compromise," she told journalists on a plane taking her to Ankara for talks with Turkish leaders on Kurdish rebels.

"There are a lot of discussions going on. That is fine," she added before a stopover in Ireland.

"But any candidate for president or any president needs to be committed to Lebanon's sovereignty and independence, needs to be committed to resolutions that Lebanon has signed on to ... and needs to be committed to carrying on the tribunal."

Rice was referring to the international UN-backed tribunal that was set up to prosecute those behind the murder of Rafiq Hariri, a five-time prime minister who was killed along with 22 others in a massive Beirut explosion in February 2005.

She did not name names, but her statement appeared to be a veiled reference to a meeting between Michel Aoun, a pro-Syrian former president who is the opposition standard-bearer in November 12 presidential elections, and Hariri's son Saad.

Aoun met Wednesday and Thursday in Paris with Lebanese parliament leader Hariri, the leader of the pro-government bloc, for their first talks since Lebanon's political crisis erupted in November last year.

The French foreign ministry said it was not involved in the talks but stressed that France "supports all efforts aimed at encouraging dialogue between the different parties in Lebanon."

Fears are running high in Beirut that the standoff between the pro- and anti- Syrian camps could lead to two rival governments, a grim reminder of the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war when two administrations battled it out.

Bush vows to push freedom agenda in Lebanon

US President George Bush meanwhile said  that his administration has to push the freedom agenda in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories where there is a chance to move people from helplessness to hopefulness.

Speaking on Thursda at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank in Washington, Mr Bush also said that the US must keep up pressure on the terrorists “until this threat to civilisation has been removed.”

He complained that some accuse him of using the “war on terror” phrase to “frighten people into the voting booths,” adding that “those who say we are not in a war on terror are either disingenuous or naïve.

Mr Bush warned the world not to ignore the words of Osama bin Laden in the fight against global terrorism.

He said the Al Qaeda terror mastermind had made his intentions to stage another attack “as clear as Lenin and Hitler”. - With agencies