The U.N. investigator into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister presented his latest report to Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Sunday, and two U.N. diplomats said the document was expected to raise new questions about Syria's cooperation.
Detlev Mehlis is leaving his post but expects his probe to continue. Two U.N. diplomats told the AP the new report was expected to question Syria's cooperation again. One of the diplomats said France had prepared a draft U.N Security Council resolution lamenting that there had not been full cooperation.
Syria denies involvement and has argued it is cooperating.
In an interview broadcast on Russian television on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad again stressed his country's cooperation. "The assassination gave some a pretext to step up the pressure against Syria. Nevertheless, we cooperated with the international commission which preceded the Mehlis commission." "I said in the past that any Syrian person proven to have a link with the assassination is a traitor under Syrian law, and the punishment of traitors is very severe."
