WASHINGTON - The United States said Monday it was more determined to restore full freedom and democracy in Lebanon after an ex-Lebanese minister succumbed to wounds sustained in the February bombing that killed former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Bassel Fleihan, 42, died Monday in a military hospital near Paris where he had been taken with serious burns immediately after the bombing in Beirut.
"Minister Fleihan was committed to moving Lebanon toward full freedom and democracy, and he worked tirelessly to promote an active civil society," said Richard Boucher, the US State Department spokesman.
"His death makes us more determined than ever to help the Lebanese people run their own affairs," he said.
"Free and fair democratic elections on time would help honor his memory," Boucher said, offering US condolences to Fleihan's family and friends and to the people of Lebanon.
His death brings the toll from the blast to 20, including Hariri. The opposition has blamed Hariri's killing on the Beirut regime and its political masters in Syria.
Charged by Washington of backing terrorism and playing a role in the insurgency in neighboring Iraq, Syria has since pledged to pullout all its troops from Lebanon by April 30 in line with a UN Security Council resolution.
04/18/2005 21:03 GMT