In
the wake of the bombing, U.S. officials have increased their pressure on the Syrian
government to withdraw from Lebanon physically and politically. Syria maintains
about 15,000 troops in Lebanon, a byproduct of Syria's participation in Lebanon's
civil war.  Also,
Syrian leaders recently lobbied Lebanon's parliament to pass a controversial amendment
to the constitution extending the term of the pro-Syrian president. Hariri and
others opposed the amendment, calling for the government to become less dependent
on Syria.
Although the United States has not officially blamed Syria for
the bombing, the U.S. ambassador to Syria was called home and Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said Syria's dominance in Lebanon may have led to the assassination.
The United States has previously accused Syria of having ties to terrorists. "There
is no doubt that the conditions created by Syria's presence there have created
a destabilized situation in Lebanon," Rice said. Syrian and Lebanese
officials have denied any involvement in the bombing.  Responding
to Rice's comments, Syria's Ambassador to the U.S. Imad Moustapha said that claims
Syria is supporting terrorism are similar to U.S. claims Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction -- weapons that have never been found.
"If anyone is trying
to politically score points against Syria ... this would be shameful," he
said. | 
A
deadly car bomb that killed a prominent Lebanese politician February 14 has shaken
the stability of one of the Middle East's most divided countries and called into
question the United States' relationship with another.
American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
