Syria Refuses to Cooperate With Hariri Tribunal

Syria will not cooperate with a UN tribunal set up to try suspects in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, a defiant President Bashar al-Assad pledged in Damascus today.

Mr Assad's message came as pressure mounted for movement in the case, which triggered mass protests and the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. A UN investigation has implicated Lebanese and Syrian security officials in the 2005 killing in Beirut. Mr Assad denies involvement but has said that any Syrian found to be involved will be tried by a Syrian court.

"We consider that the international tribunal concerns only Lebanon and the UN and that we are not directly concerned," he said. "Any cooperation requested from Syria which could compromise our national sovereignty is rejected."

The comments came after Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, warned that Washington might force the creation of the tribunal through the security council because political deadlock in Beirut had halted attempts to get the Lebanese parliament to approve the court. It is not clear whether the French president-elect, Nicolas Sarkozy, will follow his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, in backing the US on this.

UN security council members are consulting on a resolution setting up the tribunal under chapter seven of the UN charter that would threaten unspecified consequences in the event of non-compliance.