World leaders have expressed shock and regret following the fatal shooting of a leading Christian Lebanese minister, the anti-Syrian Pierre Gemayel, on Tuesday.

Amin Geyamel, former Lebanese President and father of the assassinated minister, said, "I have one wish, that tonight be a night of prayer to contemplate the meaning of this martyrdom and how to protect this country."

"I call on all those who appreciate Pierre's martyrdom to preserve his cause and for all of us to remain at the service of Lebanon. We don't want reactions and revenge," he said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "We condemn this murder utterly. This is completely without any justification at all. We need to do everything we can, particularly at this moment, to protect democracy in Lebanon and the premiership of Prime Minister Siniora."

In addition, US President George W. Bush strongly condemned the killing.

"Today we saw again the vicious face of those who oppose freedom," Bush said after meeting with US troops stationed in Hawaii on his way home from a trip to Asia.

He called for a full international investigation to "identify those people and those forces behind the killing".

Bush stopped short of assigning blame to Syria and Iran for the
killing, but made clear who he was thinking about. He said Washington supports Lebanon's efforts to "defend their democracy against attempts by Syria, Iran and allies to foment instability and violence in that important country."

Gemayel, one of the leading anti-Syrian Lebanese ministers and a leader from the Maronite Christian Church, was killed in Beirut.

Gemayel was shot down in a Christian suburb and rushed to hospital, but later died from his injury. The death signals a political crisis in Lebanon, following the resignation of six pro-Syrian cabinet members recently.

Gunmen opened fire on Gemayel's convoy as it travelled through the Sin el-Fil neighbourhood, security sources reported to Reuters. Also TV images have shown two cars filled with bullet holes.

Backers of Gemayel quickly gathered at the hospital, but the tragic news was announced later by Saad Hariri, the son of the country's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was himself killed last year in a huge blast.