Ghazi Kanaan, the Syrian Interior Minister, has been found dead in his Damascus office, days before a UN report on the assassination of a senior Lebanese politician.

The Syrian cabinet immediately put out a statement claiming that his death was suicide.

Kanaan, 63, was the head of Syria's military intelligence in Lebanon between 1982 and 2003, and had enormous influence over Lebanon’s administration.

His career flourished under the former Syrian president Hafez Assad, and he was one of the few ministers to remain powerful after Assad's death five years ago. He was promoted to the job of Interior Minister a year ago, but lost favour with the regime of Assad's son, Bashir.

Kanaan opposed one of Damascus's most controversial moves - extending President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon's term of office by three years. Mr Lahoud is seen by some as a pro-Syrian leader.

Kanaan's death comes not long after a UN team investigating the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, interviewed him and a number of Syrian figures. The UN report is due out in two weeks' time.

Hariri, a billionaire businessman, also opposed the undemocratic extension of Mr Lahoud's rule. He was killed on February 14 when a massive car bomb exploded next to his motorcade on the streets of Beirut.

The assassination led to a popular uprising in Lebanon, nicknamed the Cedar Revolution, as many Lebanese took to the streets to protest about Syria's stranglehold over their internal politics. Under pressure, Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April.

Syria and its allies in Lebanon have been blamed by many for masterminding the Hariri murder, something Damascus has denied.

On July 20, Kanaan was quoted in the Beirut daily As-Safir as saying he had no information on the murder, stressing that military intelligence was in charge of only security for Syrian troops and co-ordination with Lebanese authorities.

Mystery surrounds Kanaan's final hours. Shortly before he died, he contacted a Lebanese radio station and gave it a statement defending Syria's role in the Lebanon.

He said that his country’s troops had "done their utmost to preserve the unity of Lebanon", and he accused the media of damaging relations between the two countries.

Media reports since Hariri's assassination had wronged both himself and the former Lebanese premier, he said. "We have affection and mutual respect for Lebanon... We have served the interests of Lebanon with dignity."

In an apparent foreshadow of his death, the statement ended with the words: "I believe this is the last statement that I could make." He asked the interviewer to pass his comments to other broadcast media.

His death was reported in a statement published by the Syrian state news agency, Sana. "The cabinet announces the suicide of Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan in his office at the beginning of the afternoon," it said. "The relevant authorities are investigating."

Nick Blanford, Lebanon Correspondent for The Times, said: "Even if he did commit suicide, most Lebanese are going to jump to the conclusion that he was murdered.

"If he was killed, the Syrian regime could now use him as a scapegoat with reference to the UN investigation into the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, and his death would eliminate a potential challenge to the regime and the presidency."

In June, the US Government froze Kanaan’s assets for his alleged involvement in corruption and support for terrorism.

Other Syrian officials questioned by the UN investigators included Syria’s last intelligence chief in Lebanon, Brigadier General Rustum Ghazale, and his two aides. The investigators have named as suspects four Lebanese generals who are close to Syria, and they are under arrest.

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