BEIRUT, Lebanon, October 13 (Lebanonwire) -- Despite the apparent suicide of Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan Wednesday, an undaunted US President George W. Bush kept the pressure on Syria saying he is looking beyond the Detlev Mehlis report and expects the country to “fully cooperate” with the international community’s steadfastness in protecting democracy in Lebanon, Al Mustaqbal daily reported Thursday.

Eight days separate the announcement of the UN report findings into the Rafik Hariri murder by Mehlis, the lead investigator into the probe, and already a major development has taken place with the passing of Kanaan.

The apparent suicide was corroborated by Syrian news agencies’ report and witness accounts by friends close to the former Syrian intelligence head in Lebanon that Kanaan was lately "depressed" about the amount of pressures Syria and the Arab region was under and “worried” about a sectarian rift in Lebanon, the daily reported.

Kanaan’s last official statements were to Voice of Lebanon radio denying the Lebanese station New TV's report about his alleged acceptance of $10 million from the late Premier Hariri with former chief of the General Security Directorate Jamil Al Sayyed receiving a similar amount.

Bush meanwhile announced Wednesday that Syria “needs to respect democracy in Lebanon and as I wait for the Mehlis report, I expect a lot more from Syria.” “It is paramount that Syria understands that the free world respects Lebanon’s democracy and requires Syria to do likewise,” Bush said.

Bush added, “We want Syria to remove all its intelligence from Lebanon” announcing, “we have a lot of expectations that go beyond Mehlis and we will work with our friends and allies to ensure that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government gets that message.”

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch said following a visit with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora Wednesday that Syria needs to cooperate with the UN probe until the truth is revealed adding “Kanaan played a major role during years of Syrian tutelage and occupation of Lebanon.”

In an interview with LBC television yesterday, Adam Erely, spokesperson for the US State Department, denied reports that a deal had been struck with Syria regarding the Hariri probe in return for cooperation in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. “There are no in-between solutions and no gray areas,” Erely said, adding, “the choice for Syria is clear: cooperate with Mehlis, completely withdraw from Lebanon and stop backing international terrorism…”

“The Diplomatic isolation and the political price Syria will have to pay will both be very effective and the US will continue working with its allies to convince Syria into looking in the right direction,” Erely said, pointing out that Lebanon will be the focus of talks that will take place Friday in Paris between French President Jacques Chirac and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and similarly with British officials the following day.

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