Clinton says U.S. will never sell out Lebanon

By Arshad Mohammed

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed on Sunday that the United States would never sell out Lebanon in any deal with Syria and she urged the Lebanese to hold an "open and fair" election in June.

"There is nothing that we would do in any way that would undermine Lebanon's sovereignty," Clinton told reporters after talks with President Michel Suleiman in Beirut. "The United States will never make any deal with Syria that sells out Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

"You (Lebanese) have been through too much and it is only right that you are given a chance to make your own decisions."

Clinton's three-hour visit to Lebanon came six weeks before Lebanese vote in a general election pitting a Western-backed coalition against an alliance grouping Hezbollah and its allies and backed by Syria and Iran.

"We believe strongly that the people of Lebanon must be able to choose their own representatives in open and fair elections, without the specter of violence or intimidation, and certainly free of outside interference," she said.

"We will continue to support the voices of moderation in Lebanon, and the responsible institutions of the Lebanese state they are working hard to build."

The top U.S. diplomat would not speculate on the outcome of the election but she said: "Moderation is important in the affairs of states," she said.

Washington has recently begun to engage Syria and Iran after years of very tense relations.