UN team 'in danger' as inquiry blames Syria for assassination
By Anton La Guardia

The chief UN investigator into the murder of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri warned yesterday that his team's lives were in danger after it pointed the finger of blame at Syria.

As Washington demanded tough action against Syria and Damascus pleaded its innocence, Detlev Mehlis, the German prosecutor leading the inquiry, said his team now faced "credible" threats.

"It should be noted that despite all the precautionary measures, the level of risk, which was already high, will increase further, particularly after the issuance of the report," he told the UN Security Council.

In his explosive report last week Mr Mehlis said he had found "converging evidence" of senior Syrian officials and their allies in the Lebanese security forces being involved in the suicide car bombing that killed Mr Hariri last February.

Deleted parts of his report named President Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher and his brother-in-law Asef Shawkat as possible plotters.

The US and France were expected to table a UN resolution demanding Syrian co-operation last night or today.

John Bolton, the US ambassador to the UN, said: "We want a very strong signal from the council to the government of Syria that its obstructionism has to cease immediately."

However, Mr Mehlis suggested Syria had a second chance to come clean. Extending his investigation to Dec 15, he said, "would provide yet another opportunity for the Syrian authorities to show greater and meaningful co-operation, and to provide any relevant substantial evidence on the assassination."

Damascus could face another blow today when the UN special envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, issues his own report on Syria's compliance with UN demands that it stop interfering in Lebanon after the withdrawal of its troops earlier this year.

The Syrian ambassador to the UN, Fayssal Mekdad, tried to discredit Mr Mehlis, saying his report was politically biased and filled with "speculation rather than evidence".