Syria Offers to Cooperate With Hariri Slaying Inquiry

BEIRUT — Under intense pressure to cooperate with a U.N. inquiry, Syria on Saturday invited the chief U.N. envoy investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to visit the capital and meet with Syrian authorities.

Meanwhile, four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals taken in for questioning last week about the Feb. 14 bombing in Beirut that killed Hariri and 19 others were arraigned Saturday by a Lebanese judge. The judge ordered the generals to remain in police custody pending trial.

A fifth suspect identified by the U.N. team, former Lebanese parliament member Nasser Qandil, was questioned and released.

Investigating magistrate Elias Eid accused the generals of “deliberate killings, participation in the planning, execution and bombing that led to the killing ... carrying out terrorist acts and possession of arms and explosives,” a senior court official said.

The suspects are Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, commander of the Republican Guard; former General Security chief Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed; former police chief Maj. Gen. Ali Hajj; and Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, the former chief of military intelligence.

Many Lebanese blamed Syria and its Lebanese allies for Hariri’s slaying. The assassination sparked massive protests, forced Syria to end its 29-year troop presence in Lebanon and saw the ouster of the pro-Syrian government in Beirut.

Despite denying involvement in the killing, Damascus has been accused of failing to cooperate with a U.N. investigative team headed by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis.

In a terse statement released by its state-run news agency, Syria on Saturday invited Mehlis to visit Damascus and meet Syrian officials Monday or Tuesday, although it was not immediately clear which officials he would meet.