AMMAN - Jordan on Monday urged Syria to cooperate with a UN probe into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri to avoid a confrontation and fresh tension in the region.

"We are awaiting the results of today's (UN) Security Council meeting," which could see Damascus threatened with sanctions over its implication in Hariri's assassination, Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Moasher said.

"Jordan firmly believes that every country and party should cooperate with the (UN) report until we reach the truth, which we all aspire to," Moasher told a news conference.

"We hope the issue will not reach a level of confrontation and that the world community will be able to solve all pending issues with Syria," he said.

"We hope the situation will not reach a level that does not serve the interest and stability of the region," he added.

The Security Council was due to meet Monday afternoon to decide on a resolution urging Damascus to detain any of its nationals suspected in a February bomb attack which killed Hariri and 20 other people.

The resolution would allow the Security Council to slap economic and political sanctions on Syria if it failed to comply.

A UN-commissioned report by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis into Hariri's murder lambasted Syria for its lack of cooperation with the probe and accused security officials in Damascus and Beirut of planning the assassination.

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