BEIRUT, Feb 16: Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese mourners bid farewell to former prime minister Rafik Hariri on Wednesday at a politically charged funeral that underscored tensions with Syria over his murder.

Frenzied mourners swarmed the streets of Beirut in a sea of Lebanese flags, chanting slogans against Syria, as the funeral cortege made its way to Mr Hariri's final resting place at a mosque in the heart of the capital.

The billionaire businessman, regarded as the architect of Lebanon's post-war reconstruction, was buried at the Mohammad al Amin mosque in Martyrs' Square after his coffin was opened in a crush of people.

Chanting "Syria out", Lebanese massed in the streets amid tight security two days after Mr Hariri was killed in a massive bomb blast that many blame on Lebanon's political masters in Damascus.

The top US envoy to the Middle East, William Burns, called in Beirut for the "complete and immediate" withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and demanded a "credible" investigation into the assassination.

The United States, while stopping short of directly holding Syria responsible, has recalled its ambassador and warned of deteriorating ties, although Damascus insists it had no role in the murder.

The assassination of Mr Hariri, who served as premier five times since the end of the 1975-1990 war but resigned in October over Syria's domination of this country, has stoked fears of a return to the dark days of civil conflict.

"Beirut weeps for its martyr. Beirut salutes Rafik Hariri," said one banner at the funeral, which passed without serious incident despite the outpouring of emotion on the streets.

The nation, still bearing the scars of the war despite its political and economic reconstruction, was united in grief as mourners from all communities joined the funeral - but members of the government were notably absent.

No other Lebanese politician has ever had such an emotional send off from the patchwork of religions which make up Lebanon. Church bells rang out as the procession slowly wound its way through the streets of Beirut.

His family had called for the massive public turnout, spurning a government offer to hold a state funeral and demanding that no government officials attend, although parliament speaker Nabih Berri was seen at the mosque. Lebanon's opposition has charged that the Beirut authorities and their backers in Damascus were involved in the assassination. -AFP