Syrian president refuses to talk to UN about Hariri murder

Syria: The Syrian president has rejected a request to be interviewed by the UN commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

A spokeswoman for the commission said on Saturday that Damascus turned down the request on the ground that it "violates the principle of sovereignty". Syria had agreed to "one part of the request," believed to be for an interview with foreign minister Farouk Sharaa. The commission has accused Lebanese and Syrian intelligence officials of conspiring to kill Mr Hariri.

In an interview published on Saturday in the Egyptian weekly al-Usbua, Bashar Assad reiterated Damascus's willingness to co-operate with the commission but said he had refused two invitations for interviews because "the president of the republic has international immunity".

He denied the accusation made by former Syrian vice-president Abdel Halim Khaddam that he had threatened Mr Hariri in August 2004 during a discussion of the extension of the term of Lebanese president Emile Lahoud, a close Syrian ally. Mr Hariri opposed the extension.

Dr Assad said: "Nobody attended [ that meeting] between Hariri and me, therefore, how can they make these allegations?"

He said the intention "was to connect the threat with the assassination". Dr Assad said he had asked Mr Hariri to "go and think it over for one day or more . . . and he agreed to the Syrian demand". Consequently "there was basically no problem".

Following the allegation, Mr Khaddam met the UN team. This could be embarrassing for Dr Assad even if he was not involved in Mr Hariri's murder because Mr Khaddam might have leaked secrets in an attempt to weaken the regime and return to power.

This is unlikely, according to authoritative commentator Joshua Landis, a Damascus-based professor from Oklahoma. He says the domestic Syrian opposition "is distancing itself from Khaddam" while the exiled opposition, which has no internal constituency, is "welcoming him".

Dr Landis argues that Mr Khaddam has been engaged in a power struggle with Dr Assad which began before the latter became president.

Mr Khaddam, a leading member of the old guard around strongman Hafez Assad, thought he should succeed rather than the young eye doctor.

This struggle intensified as the old guard sought to maintain its position, while Dr Assad's young guard attempted to initiate economic and political reforms.

Mr Khaddam and other key figures in the old guard were purged last summer.