Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, has assured the son of Rafiq al-Hariri, the slain former Lebanese prime minister, that the Bush administration will keep the pressure on Syria to respect Lebanon's independence. Rice on Thursday met Saad al-Hariri, who entered Lebanese politics after the 14 February 2005 killing of his father, in her office and invited in cameras to record the event. Al-Hariri heads the majority bloc in Lebanon's parliament. The assassination of Rafiq in Beirut set in motion a UN campaign to end Syria's domination of Lebanon. Syria, under UN pressure, withdrew its troops but its influence has not been entirely erased. "We will continue to make sure there is no intimidation of the Lebanese people," Rice said, "and that Syria respects its obligations" under UN resolutions calling for it to withdraw its forces from the neighbouring country. Lebanon can be certain of international support for its independence, Rice said.