WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States has used the outrage over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to press Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and stop what it calls "support of terror."

    US President George Bush on Thursday demanded Syria pull its 14,000 troops from Lebanon and said he would seek support from European leaders next week to put more pressure on Damascus.

    "Syria is out of step with the progress being made in the greater Middle East," Bush told a news conference.

    Bush said he expected Syria to adhere to last September's UN Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the removal of the Syrian troops, adding Damascus must promote free and fair elections in Lebanon.

    He said it was too early to conclude that Syria had a role in killing Hariri. "I don't know yet, because the investigation is ongoing."

    Bush said he hoped to rally more pressure against Damascus when he goes to Brussels next week to meet European Union and NATO leaders.

    "I look forward to working with my European friends on my upcoming trip to talk about how we can work together to convince the Syrians to make rational decisions," he said.

    Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, also urged Syria on Thursday to stop its alleged support of terror and withdraw forces from Lebanon.

    He said Washington opposed Russia's plans to sell advanced surface-to-air missiles to Syria and had raised the issue with the Russian government

    Hariri and 14 others were killed Monday in a huge explosion in Beirut, one of the worst attacks in the Lebanese capital since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Syria denies any involvement in the blast.

    But the United States used the incident to mount pressure on Syria. Washington recalled its ambassador to Syria for urgent consultations and said Syria's military presence in Lebanon is "a destabilizing force in the region."

    Damascus says Lebanon requested its troops be based there to maintain peace and stability following its devastating civil war.

    Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the administration believed it had the diplomatic tools to try to force Syria to leave Lebanon. Speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee, she said concerted international pressure should move the Syrians to act.

    But Rice noted Bush always "reserves his options," hinting that the White House will not waive the use of military force.

    However, Bush's tough stand on Damascus has drew criticism from US politicians.

    Democratic Senator Robert Byrd said the administration's harsh rhetoric toward Syria and Iran resembled that toward Iraq prior to the Iraq War.

    He said the government's case for the war with Iraq was "built on a house of cards" and he is concerned "the administration is leading us down the same path once again with respect to Iran and Syria, substituting saber-rattling for negotiations and just maybe allowing armed conflict to trump diplomacy."

    The Syrian Accountability Act enabled Bush to impose certain sanctions on Damascus, which it accused of hosting militant groups and seeking biological and chemical weapons. Syria denies the charges.

    Washington has banned most US exports to Syria other than food and medicine and barred Syrian flights to and from the United States. Enditem