Rice said she made the trip to "express the United States' support for Lebanese democracy, for Lebanese sovereignty."

Rice first met President Michel Suleiman and told him Washington was very supportive of his presidency and his government, describing him as a "very fine man."

"We support the democratically elected government of Lebanon, that is what we support," Rice said, brushing aside any suggestion of US interference in Lebanese politics.

But efforts by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to form a new cabinet have hit snags as rival factions disagreed over who should head the key Defense, Interior, Finance and Foreign Affairs Ministries.

The Doha deal gave the opposition the power to veto key government decisions and wider representation in a new cabinet, with 11 seats to be allocated to the opposition, 16 to the majority and three to be appointed by Suleiman.

Rice, in Beirut after a two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank, rejected claims that the Doha deal was a slap in the face for US policy in the Middle East as it gave Hezbollah and its allies in the opposition more say in the new government.

"Obviously in any (deal) there are compromises," she said. "But this was an agreement that I think serves the interest of the Lebanese people and since it serves the interest of the Lebanese people, it serves the interest of the United States."

Asked whether she thought there was bad blood between the two countries, Rice said: "I don't think there is any bad blood between the US and Lebanon, quite the contrary. The US played a pivotal role in helping bring an end to the war in 2006."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon, during a visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, called for the speedy formation of the government in Lebanon, where tensions remain high with sporadic clashes erupting between rival government and opposition supporters.

Rice said that it was time for UN action on a disputed Lebanese border district occupied by Israel that Hezbollah has pledged to liberate.

"The United States believes that the time has come to deal with the Shebaa Farms issue... in accordance with (UN Security Council Resolution) 1701," Rice said after discussing the matter with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

She told reporters Washington intends to press UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to "lend his good offices" to resolve the dispute over sovereignty over the district at the meeting place of the borders between Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

"The secretary general should intensify his efforts," she said.

Resolution 1701 brought an end to a devastating 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in summer 2006 and called for the UN secretary general to propose a border demarcation for the Shebaa Farms.

Lebanon's new president Michel Suleiman said earlier this month that he planned to submit new documents to the United Nations setting out Lebanon's case for sovereignty over the district.

The leader of the parliamentary majority Saad Hariri, who also met Rice on Monday, said his Future bloc too would impress upon the top US diplomat that the Shebaa Farms belongs to Lebanon.

"We want to be able to close that chapter of the history of Lebanon," he told reporters. "Shebaa Farms is very important for Lebanon. It's a part of Lebanon that the Lebanese people would like back."

Her visit, under tight security, comes amid continued bickering between the ruling bloc in parliament and the Hezbollah-led opposition over the formation of a new cabinet of national unity.

After meeting with March 14 leaders at Hariri's home Rice headed to Ain el Tinah to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence

After meeting with Berri Rice told reporters : We discussed the issue of Lebanese sovereignty and independence and congratulated speaker Berri on the Doha agreement and the return of the parliamentary life in Lebanon . I had a very good visit."

She added : " Speaker Berri enjoys the backing of the United States. "

Regarding Hezbollah she said " Our stance against Hezbollah is still the same. The US has considered Hezbollah as a terrorist organization for years... we will continue working with the democratically elected government in Lebanon."

Rice departed Lebanon just after 6:00 PM local time . She headed to the United States via Dublin Ireland .

Resolution 1701 brought an end to a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 and called for the U.N. secretary general to make a proposal for the delineation of the disputed Shebaa Farms area.

Israel occupied Shebaa Farms in the 1967 war when it took it from Syria along with the Golan Heights. This is why the UN has considered Shebaa a Syrian territory and did not include it inside the Blue Line for Lebanon ( see map) . But the area is all owned by Lebanese individuals and Syria reportedly used it during the 1967 war in its defense against Israel. Syria did tell the UN verbally that Shebaa is Lebanese , but the Syrians never provided the UN with the proof of ownership.

According to Samir Maalouf , a Political analyst : "Shebaa is a deliberately-crafted Syrian pretext for sponsoring paramilitary attacks against Israel ... was used before 2005 as a justification for its occupation of Lebanon and since 2005 it used it for its proxy fights against Israel through Hezbollah, without any consideration for Lebanon"

President Michel Suleiman said last week that Lebanon will present new documents to the United Nations which will prove that the Israeli-occupied Shebaa farms area is Lebanese, a move that was meant to activate diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the issue.

Tags: Israel, rice, Shebaa Farms, source: Now Lebanon, source: Ya Libnan, Suleiman, Syria