UNITED NATIONS - Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told the UN Security Council on Monday that it would "be inappropriate" to threaten Syria with sanctions to force it to cooperate fully with the UN probe into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

Speaking after the 15-member council unanimously adopted a watered-down resolution demanding full Syrian cooperation with the UN probe led by chief investigator Detlev Mehlis, Li said: "China always urges that no use or threat of sanctions should be allowed in international relations."

It was determined opposition by veto-wielding China and Russia that led the co-sponsors of the resolution, Britain, France and the United States, to drop a reference in an earlier draft threatening economic and diplomatic sanctions under article 41 of the UN Charter.

Instead the resolution adopted earlier Monday warned Syria that if it failed to cooperate fully, the council "if necessary, could consider (unspecified) further action."

"The Mehlis report is still a preliminary report and the commission itself believes that the investigation is yet to be completed and there is no final conclusion," Li told the council.

"Under such circumstances it is inappropriate for the council to prejudge the outcome of the investigation and to threaten to impose sanctions," he added.

He said the council should take into full consideration "the unique and complicated situation in the Middle East and respect the sovereignty of those countries" to avoid stirring new tension and turmoil.

The resolution calls for Damascus to detain suspected nationals and urges states to impose a travel ban and a freeze of assets on all individuals designated as suspects in Hariri's killing.

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