Syria was behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, according to the chief UN investigator leading the assassination probe in remarks published yesterday.

It was the first time that Detlev Mehlis has unequivocally accused Syria of responsibility for Hariri's assassination since opening the probe in June.

Asked by Asharq Al Awsat newspaper if he was firmly convinced that Syria was behind Hariri's killing, Mehlis replied, "Yes."

Asked whether he is directly accusing the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, already under heavy international pressure to co-operate with the UN probe, Mehlis said, "Let's say the Syrian authorities". He declined to elaborate.

Mehlis' remarks are expected to ratchet up pressure on Syria to co-operate with the probe ordered by the Security Council, which has warned Syria to co-operate fully with the investigation or face "further action" - diplomatic code for sanctions. The UN commission has also accused Syria of trying to obstruct the inquiry.

Mehlis, a German prosecutor who has announced plans to step down as head of the inquiry, also said he saw a link between this week's slaying of anti-Syrian journalist and MP Gibran Tueni, 48, and a string of bombings that have rocked Lebanon since Hariri's February 14 assassination in Beirut.

"There is a link between these operations (bombings). But I am not in a position to say that there is a link between these operations and Hariri's assassination," Mehlis said.

Mehlis has released two reports since October implicating top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in a massive truck bombing that killed Hariri and 20 others. Syria has denied involvement in Hariri's killing or the other attacks against anti-Syrian critics in Lebanon.

Mehlis' interview took place in New York a few days after submitting his findings to the Security Council on Monday into Hariri's killing.

In his latest report, Mehlis said new evidence reinforced investigators' beliefs that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services were likely involved in Hariri's killing. The report was delivered on the same day a car bomb killed Tueni and two others.

Despite obstacles facing the UN probe, Mehlis said he was confident those behind the attacks would be arrested and brought to trial. "The matter needs patience," he said. The Security Council voted this week to extend the Hariri investigation until June 15.

PHOTO CAPTION

Detlev Mehlis in New York City in this December 13, 2005 file photo. (REUTERS)