UNITED NATIONS - Under Secretary-General for legal affairs Nicolas Michel signed documents establishing a tribunal with an international character to prosecute those responsible for the assassination of Lebanese former Premier Rafik Hariri two years ago, a UN official said on Tuesday.

The signing took place the same day Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon received a letter from Lebanese President Emile Lahoud urging him to ignore letters Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora had send him. Lahoud claimed that Siniora represents a "legitimately failed government".

Ban confirmed to reporters that he had received the letters and that "this matter is something to be discussed by the Security Council...We hope the Lebanese government will take necessary measures to be able to ratify this process in accordance with their constitutional requirements".

The council had mandated the UN Secretariat to sign the documents, but according to the US envoy Alejandro Wolff, the matter may come back to the council only if the Lebanese Government fails to ratify it.

"The ideal would be for the Lebanese this through their constitutional processes," acknowledging that the situation in Lebanon is "delicate".

"We very much want to see this tribunal established...There is a procedure for the Lebanese (government) to do so. We hope it will work out that way. We will come back to it in the council and discuss it if there is a problem," Wolff said. (KUNA)