US President George W. Bush on Tuesday condemned the slaying of Lebanese cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel, and called for an investigation and immediate United Nations action in response.
"Today we saw again the vicious face of those who hate freedom," he said during a brief visit here. "We strongly condemn the assassination today in Lebanon of Pierre Gemayel."
Bush accused Iran and Syria of promoting "instability" in Lebanon, but did not tie them outright to the killing, which came amid UN Security Council deliberations on an international tribunal to try suspects in the murder of Lebanon's former premier Rafiq Hariri.
"I call for a full investigation of the murder to identify those people and those forces behind the killing. We call on the international community to support Prime Minister (Fuad) Siniora's government," he said.
"And one clear way to do so is for the United Nations Security Council to take all remaining steps needed to establish a special tribunal concerning the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri, and to assure that those behind that killing and others that followed are brought to justice," said Bush.
"I strongly believe the United Nations Security Council ought to act today. For the sake of peace, the free world must reject those who undermine young democracies and murder in the name of their hateful ideology," said Bush.
Gemayel, who served as industry minister in Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora's government, was assassinated in a northern suburb of the Lebanese capital, in the latest in a spate of attacks to target anti-Syrian politicians
"We support the Siniora government and its democracy and we support the Lebanese people's desire to live in peace and we support their efforts to defend their democracy against attempts by Syria, Iran and allies to foment instability and violence in that important country," said Bush.