DAMASCUS - Both Syria and Lebanon have lauded the latest report on the UN probe into the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, which noted progress in determining the circumstances of the killing and improved Syrian cooperation.

Meanwhile, Lebanon announced that it would ask Brazil to extradite a fugitive banker who is suspected of having helped to finance the assassins.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad told the government daily Ath-Thawra from New York that the "report by the chief of the international investigating commission, Serge Brammertz, is realistic and very professional."

Brammertz's report, published Tuesday, said progress was made in establishing how the massive bomb blast was carried out on the Beirut seafront in February 2005, that killed Hariri and 20 others.

It said crucial progress was also reported in overcoming Syria's initial reluctance to cooperate with the investigation.

"The Syrian government has, in particular in the last three months, formally complied with nearly all of the Commission's previous requests for assistance," the report said.

"Despite these encouraging steps, it is important to note that the Commission will ultimately judge cooperation of the Syrian authorities on the merits of the information provided and the promptness with which its requests are being accommodated," it added.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said he was "happy at the serious cooperation with the commission evidenced by all parties," an allusion to Syria.

Like his Syrian counterpart, he also commended the report, saying it "reflected an important tenacity and professional work."

The report to the UN Security Council was the first by Brammertz since he took up his new duties on January 23, succeeding German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis.

Since his nomination on January 11, Brammertz has conducted his probe in utmost secrecy. He made his first trip to Damascus on February 23 where he met with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.

Two previous reports under Mehlis had suggested top-level Syrian involvement in the assassination plot and also blasted Damascus for not only failing to cooperate but also actively seeking to mislead the investigation.

Commenting on that, Meqdad denounced the "scandalous report published previously, which allowed the media to make preemptive judgements" about Syria. The Brammertz report "did not contain anti-Syria points," he added.

Syria, the longtime powerbroker in Lebanon until it withdrew its troops after the Hariri assassination, has denied any involvement in the murder and accused the UN panel of political bias.

In a separate development, an official said Lebanon will ask Brazil to extradite Rana Abdul Rahim Qoleilat, a Lebanese women suspected of having helped finance the assassination.

A fugitive, Qoleilat, 39, was arrested in her hotel room in Sao Paulo, Brazil on an Interpol warrant related to bank fraud accusations.

The UN commission suspects her of providing financial help, directly or indirectly, to the former premier's assassins.

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