UNITED NATIONS, Aug 30 (AFP) - The head of the UN probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri will give details in Beirut Thursday about the arrests of three former pro-Syrian security chiefs suspected of involvement, Japan's UN envoy Kenzo Oshima said here Tuesday.

Lebanese Justice Minister Charles Rizk said the arrests came at the request of the international commission headed by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis investigating the massive Beirut bomb blast that killed Hariri on February 14.

"Mr Mehlis will hold a press conference in Beirut on Thursday," Oshima, the current president of the UN Security Council, told reporters after the council heard a briefing on the Lebanese developments.

Anne Patterson, a US UN delegate, described the arrests "in basically a very short amount of time (as) a very dramatic development and a credit to Mr. Mehlis and his team and to the UN."

Patterson stressed the fact that officials arrested had "long-standing ties to Syria" and reiterated that "there's been no cooperation from Syria" with the UN probe.

The Lebanese security chiefs who had their homes searched were former general security chief Jamil al-Sayed, ex-military intelligence boss Raymond Azar and former internal security head Ali al-Hage.

The three officials, who all resigned amid public fury over the Hariri assassination, "will be interrogated as suspects", Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said in a statement read on television.

Presidential guard chief Mustafa Hamdan also turned himself in to UN investigators after a warrant was issued, while former pro-Damascus minister Nasser Qandil broke off a visit to the Syrian capital to appear before the inquiry commission.

They are the first major figures brought in for questioning in the probe into Hariri's killing, which plunged Lebanon into turmoil and increased the pressure on Syria to pull out its troops in April.

The five men are to be questioned and can be held for up to four days after which they would be released or charged under the Lebanese justice system, legal sources said.

Oshima meanwhile said Council members welcomed the progress in the UN investigation of Hariri's slaying and "hope that the final report of the commission will solidly establish the facts."

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