BEIJING, June 17 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announces that an international investigation has begun into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

    The investigators have three months to complete their work, although the UN Security Council can extend the deadline if needed.

    The inquiry was ordered by the Security Council after UN experts concluded that Lebanon could not conduct a credible investigation on its own.

    Hariri died on February 14 in a bomb attack in central Beirut that killed at least 20 others.

    Meanwhile, Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud reaffirmed the importance of maintaining security and stability in his country during a meeting with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Beirut.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)