DAMASCUS, 23 November 2005 — Syria has asked the United Nations for help in reaching a “cooperation protocol” with the inquiry team probing the killing of Lebanon’s former Premier Rafik Hariri that will, at the same time, respect its sovereignty.
Syria called on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday to intervene and help broker the cooperation agreement.
The Syrian call in a letter by Foreign Minister Farouk Shara came after a meeting last week between a Syrian legal adviser and chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis appeared to have failed to agree on the venue and legal framework for the questioning of six senior Syrian security officials.
“The foreign minister’s letter asked the help of the president of the (UN) Security Council and the UN secretary-general in agreeing a cooperation protocol with the Syrian government,” a Foreign Ministry official said in a statement.
Annan on Monday defended his efforts to help persuade Syria to cooperate with the UN probe. Speaking to reporters on his return to UN headquarters after a two-week tour of the Middle East and Pakistan, the UN chief responded to press allegations that he had interfered with the probe led by Mehlis by urging Syria to cooperate.
He said that during his recent trip to the Middle East, he had had a chance to help Mehlis by encouraging “leaders in the region to urge Syria to cooperate fully.”
He also noted that since the UN Security Council last month passed a resolution demanding full cooperation with the UN probe into last February’s Hariri slaying, he “had the chance to talk to Syrian authorities several times urging them to cooperate with Mehlis.”
“I think it is my duty as secretary-general to do whatever I can ...to make sure that everybody cooperates,” he added. Annan said the Syrian issue figured prominently in his discussions with Arab leaders.
“They are all concerned and anxious to see Syria cooperate, to see the issue settled diplomatically and not lead to a situation that destabilizes possibly Syria and Lebanon,” he said.
“We would want to see a situation where the countries in the region respect each other’s sovereignty and do not interfere in each other’s affairs, so if there is pressure on Syria, it is a pressure for behavior change,” Annan added.
Mehlis, meanwhile, returned to Lebanon yesterday, preparing to wrap up his inquiry. Mehlis has until Dec. 15 to report back to the UN Security Council on his findings.
