Bush demanded Syria pull troops from Lebanon. (Reuters)

BEIRUT, February 18, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The administration of US President George W. Bush stepped up its rhetoric against Syria, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying "military force" is not ruled out and a bipartisan Senate committee urging more sanctions.

At a news conference Thursday, February 17, 2005 , Bush demanded Syria pull troops from Lebanon after the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri and said he would seek support from European leaders next week to put more pressure on Damascus .

US officials said Bush would use next week's fence-mending trip to Europe to appeal for unity after the Iraqi elections and also to try to rally trans-Atlantic allies to step up pressure on Iran and Syria , according to Reuters.

Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, saw last month's elections in Iraq as an opportunity for US-European unity after bitter differences over the US invasion.

“One of the things the United States and Europe need to do is to send a clear message to Syria ,” Hadley said.

He said that such message would be that “the winds of change are blowing in the Middle East in the direction of fighting terror and greater freedom.... It's time for Syria to take the right decisions and get into step.”

Bush recalled the US ambassador to Syria this week, following the grisly bombing in Beirut . He told the press conference that he did not know who was behind the killing.

“I don't know yet, because the investigation is ongoing,” he said.

Syria has vehemently denied involvement, reiterating its readiness for any sort of investigation. It further blamed Israel , saying the Jewish state was the only beneficiary.

Military Force

“The president always reserves his options,” said Rice. (Reuters)

Meanwhile, Rice has not ruled out military force against Syria when asked about the possibility of an attack on the Arab country.

“The president always reserves his options," Rice told a Senate committee Thursday.

“However, in this case of Syria we believe that concerted international pressure ... can and should move the Syrians to act" on a UN resolution calling for their withdrawal from Lebanon, she was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying.

Rice suggested to the Senate panel she might consider additional sanctions on top of an initial set imposed last May.

“We believe we have many, many diplomatic tools at our disposal here and although the president always keeps his options open we are employing those tools,” she told a budget hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Rice used similar language last week in referring to Iran amid speculation the Bush administration was gearing for a military strike at Tehran 's suspected nuclear arms facilities.

But she sidestepped a question Thursday whether Bush would consult with Congress before launching any operation against either Syria or Iran .

“I don't want to speculate on what the president might or might not need,” the chief US diplomat said.

She did note, however, that Bush sought congressional approval before the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and said “we all understand fully the prerogatives of this body when it comes to war and peace.

“I am quite certain the president would do nothing to violate that trust."

Within the same hawkish line, a bipartisan group of US senators called on the White House to impose tighter sanctions against Syria after the Hariri assassination.

In a letter, the lawmakers called on Bush to ratchet up the pressure on Damascus , as permitted by The Syria and Lebanese Sovereignty Act of 2003, which was overwhelmingly approved by both houses of Congress.

The bill permits the president to adjust the level of sanctions against Damascus as he sees fit, and the lawmakers wrote in their letter Thursday that the time has come to ramp up the pressure.

“Neither the US nor our allies can afford to let Syria off the hook,” the senators wrote.

“Our message to the Syrians, and to the other undemocratic regimes in the region must be clear and direct: terrorist activity will not be tolerated,” they wrote.

Syria intervened militarily in the Lebanese civil war in 1976 and settled the conflict with the tacit agreement of the United States in 1990, according to Reuters.