The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz said he had frequently advised Syrian President Bashar Al-assad (to cooperate with the UN probe) but without receiving a positive response. The King, in a statement published by London-based "Asharq-al-awsat" and "Al-Hayat" Arabic newspapers on Sunday, reiterated the keenness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in serving Syrian interests. 'Since the era of Late King Abdulaziz, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been concerned with the interests of all Arab countries," he added. King Abdullah made it clear that if investigations with Syrian officials on the assassination of Rafiq Hariri had taken place either in Lebanon or Golan, then that would have constituted a humiliation not only to Syria but also to every Arab country 'I have proposed to French President Jacques Chirac and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that Detlev Mehlis (German magistrate who heads probe into the Hariri assassination) may listen to Syrian witnesses either in Switzerland or Austria, he said noting that he had earlier sent Prince Bandar bin Sultan to Paris and Damascus on special missions. He pointed out that in Paris, Prince Bandar had met Chirac and Annan and in Damascus he had met President Bashar Al-Assad and reached an agreement with him. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, met with the ambassadors of the five big countries in Riyadh and briefed them on developments in this respect, and the plan was approved'. --MORE 1125 Local Time 0825 GMT
