U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden reinforced America's support for Lebanon's sovereign democracy on Friday ahead of key parliamentary elections that could see the country's pro-Western majority ousted by a coalition led by the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Speaking after a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in Beirut, Biden said it was up to Lebanese voters to choose their own leaders, but the "enduring U.S. partnership" would depend on their commitment to "freedom."

Biden did not mention Hezbollah or its foreign backers by name, but issued a thinly veiled rebuke to the group while denying he or the United States was trying to influence the June 7 parliamentary vote.

"I urge those who would think about standing with the spoilers of peace not to miss this opportunity to walk away from the spoilers," he said.

Biden is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Lebanon in more than 25 years and the second in about a month from the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, following in the footsteps of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The attention underscores Washington's concerns about a possible win by Hezbollah, which the U.S. and Canada consider a terrorist group.

The White House said Biden's visit was meant "to reinforce the United States' support for an independent and sovereign Lebanon."

Hezbollah has accused the U.S. of interfering in the election in favour of pro-Western factions. The group said Friday that the visits by Biden and Clinton raised "strong suspicion and amounted to a clear and detailed interference in Lebanon's affairs."

With the election about two weeks away, this deeply divided nation is in the throes of an increasingly abrasive election campaign that has split voters into two main camps: a pro-Western one comprising mainly Sunnis who look to America, France and moderate Sunni Arab allies, and another largely dominated by Shias and backed by U.S. foes Iran and Syria.

Hezbollah, which is highly critical of U.S. Mideast policy and has a strong anti-Israeli agenda, is looking to strengthen its political hold beyond the veto power it and allies currently have in the government.

The Shia group has only 14 seats in the 128-seat parliament, but negotiated this power after it displayed force a year ago when its gunmen overran Sunni neighbourhoods in Beirut.

The coalition dominated by the heavily armed group stands a good chance of winning, which could increase the influence of its sponsors Iran and Syria in the region.

U.S. officials have said they will review assistance to Lebanon depending on the composition of the next government.

The U.S. has provided Lebanon with more than $1 billion in assistance since 2006, including $410 million to the military and the police.

The last U.S. vice-president to visit Lebanon was George H.W. Bush, who was serving with President Ronald Reagan and came to the country in October 1983, days after a massive suicide truck bombing destroyed the U.S. marine base at Beirut airport, killing more than 240 members of the U.S. military.