Syria might not cooperate with Hariri court

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad signalled on Thursday that Damascus might not cooperate with a U.N.-backed court to try suspects in the killing of a former Lebanese premier if it indicted Syrian officials.

In a speech that stressed the need to preserve Syrian jurisdiction over possible Syrian suspects in the killing, Assad said Damascus would not cooperate with the tribunal if it took actions that undermined Syrian sovereignty.

"We have nothing directly to do with the court. Any cooperation requested from Syria that compromises national sovereignty is totally rejected," Assad told a parliament session in the Syrian capital.

"Some don't differentiate between cooperation and abandoning sovereignty. The abandonment of sovereignty means that Syrian law no longer protects Syrian citizens," he said.

A United Nations investigation has implicated Lebanese and Syrian security officials in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut.

Assad has denied any Syrian involvement in the killing but has said any Syrian found to be involved would be tried by a Syrian court.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this week Washington might seek to force setting up of the tribunal by the U.N. Security Council after a political crisis in Beirut paralysed parliament and blocked any attempts to get Lebanon to approve the court.

International pressure and Lebanese protests led Syria to end 29-year military dominance over its smaller neighbour two months after Hariri was killed.