Tuesday, November 1 2005 15:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: Syria has taken strong exception to the remarks of certain western nations that the country's security services knew about the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa said that asserting Syrian security services knew about the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was like saying that the United States, Britain and Spain knew about the major terrorist attacks.

"We know that such security organs, particularly the British, were fully aware that such attacks would take place and had prior training to face up to them," al-Sharaa said, jabbing his finger in the air toward Straw, with Rice and the other foreign ministers looking on.

Al-sharaa, whom the international investigators inquiring into the assassination of Hariri have accused of misleading them, said their report was based on 'preconceived' notions.

"It is clear from any person who has followed this issue through that Syria's cooperation was complete I repeat complete," he said, denying that Damascus had obstructed the investigations.

Taken aback, Straw counterattacked, calling the comparison made by al-Shaara as 'grotesque and insensitive' and 'at best, absurd,' and wholly rejected the charge.

If the Council has any misgivings about why the resolution had to be under chapter so that it is enforceable, those were surely put to rest, he added.

Taking the floor for the second time, al-Sharaa said his Government wanted to cooperate with the inquiry and had condemned terrorist attacks on New York and London.