Syrian Leader Lashes Out at West Criticism

[maddezmom]

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's president Thursday reiterated his country's innocence in the killing of a prominent Lebanese politician. He pledged to cooperate — for now — with a U.N. investigation that implicated Syrian military officers but warned such cooperation will stop "when Syria is going to harmed."

President Bashar Assad also disclosed that a U.N. investigator has turned down Syria's conditions set on the investigation cooperation.

"We will play their game" and cooperate, Assad said in a speech at Damascus University. But, he warned, the country will "stop when Syria is going to be harmed."

Syria has come under intense pressure from the United States and the United Nations since the February assassination of Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon.


more:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/syria;_


Assad holds little hope of averting U.N. showdown


DAMASCUS (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday Syria would cooperate fully with a U.N. probe into the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister but held little hope that it would avert pressure on Damascus.

"No matter what we do and how much we cooperate, the result after a month will be that Syria did not cooperate... but we have to do our duty," Assad said in a televised speech.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051110/wl_nm/syria_assad_dc_2

[allemand]

1. I wonder why Mehlis refused to question the Syrian officials in Cairo.

Assad disclosed in his speech that Mehlis had refused Syria's offers to hold the questioning of the officers on Syrian territory - even in UN offices there - or at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, in cooperation with Egypt.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/643992.html

There were some reports that they could be questioned in Cyprus. If Cyprus is a possible venue, why not Cairo?