Annan urges Syria cooperate with investigation Commission

While Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday advised the Syrian authorities to cooperate with the UN commission investigating the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and the US is warning Damascus of "further measures" if they do not, KUNA reported.

"The Secretary-General would urge Syria and anyone else who has been asked to cooperate" to do that, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was not aware of any contacts between Annan and the Syrian authorities during the last couple of days.

Following mew implications against the Syrian government involvement in the murder of Hariri raised by Syrian former Vice-President Abdel Halim Khaddam, The UN commission requested over the weekend to interview Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his foreign minister Farouq Al-Sharaa.

It is not known who will be interviewing the Syrian officials, if they agree, Deltev Mehlis, who "continues to be in charge of running the commission until a successor is appointed, or the successor, anticipated to be Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz.