WASHINGTON - Syria's ambassador to the United States on Thursday accused Washington and the United Nations of having an "ulterior agenda" against his government in pressing on with an investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

"What lies behind all what Syria is facing, is not what Syria has done, or what Syria is presumed to have done, but it is generated by an ulterior agenda by very powerful elements within this administration and elsewhere," Ambassador Imad Moustapha said in remarks delivered at a conference at the US Capitol.

"We believe that from day one ... that the plot, the masterplan behind the assassination of Hariri, goes far beyond merely assassinating of this national leader," he said at a forum sponsored by the Council for the National Interest Foundation.

"Actually we believe that Syria is also targeted by this crime. And what we are seeing today proves our worst fears," Moustapha said.

A UN commission of inquiry headed by German magistrate Detlev Mehlis is probing the murder of Lebanon's ex-premier. An interim report issued by Mehlis in October implicated top Syrian officials over the February killing of Hariri in a bomb blast in Beirut. It also criticized Syria for failing to cooperate fully with the investigation. Washington has been outspoken in pressing for greater cooperation from Damascus, and demanded Syria secure its border with Iraq to stem the flow of arms and insurgents.

Last month, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding Damascus cooperate fully with the murder probe.

Moustapha complained that the investigation is stacked against Syria -- including the reliance by Mehlis on what Moustapha called discredited testimony "to cause the utmost possible damage to Syria."

The ambassador said that the testimony of two key witnesses against Syria in the assassination case has been "absolutely undermined," but expressed frustration that Syria nevertheless has not been exonerated.

"There is still a resolution against Syria in the United Nations Security council and Syria is still targeted by the world's unique superpower, the United States of America," Moustapha said.

He added: "We have said, and we repeat this, it is in our national interest to cooperate with the Mehlis investigation, because we believe the that only way to exonerate Syria is to reveal the truth about the assassination of Hariri."

"We are absolutely convinced that we have had nothing to do whatsoever with the assassination of Hariri."

Mehlis is scheduled to submit his final report to the UN Security Council on December 15.

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