BEIRUT, July 22: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Lebanon under heavy security on Friday to show US support for the new government, the first to be formed since Syrian forces withdrew in April. “You’ll not find a more supportive partner than the United States for what Lebanon is trying to achieve because this is a wonderful breakthrough for the Lebanese people to have control of their own future,” Rice told a news conference after talks with Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora.

She reiterated Washington’s demand that anti-Israeli Hezbollah guerillas be disarmed in line with UN resolution 1559 despite it joining the new government and called on Syria to end a border blockade of Lebanon.

“The United States has a long standing policy towards Hezbollah that has a history to it, that has a history of blood to it and that has not changed,” Rice said.

“Ultimately the resolution is speaking only to the fact that there can be only one authority in a country and in a democracy there can be only one authority and one authority that is armed.”

The top US diplomat flew in from Israel under secrecy due to security fears in a country where there have been three politically motivated assassinations this year. Lebanese troops and police patrolled the streets as Rice was driven first to the Beirut house of assassinated former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, where she met his son, Saad al-Hariri, parliament’s majority coalition leader.-—Reuters