DAMASCUS, Nov. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri on Tuesday called for national unity amid mounting international pressure following a UN report implicating Syrian involvement in the killing of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik Hariri.

    "The government should deepen its communication with the masses and follow up their issues and find appropriate solutions," Otri told a cabinet meeting, quoted by the official SANA news agency.

    He urged the ministries to estimate and execute their programs and projects according to the principle of priority whileconsidering the economic feasibility.

    Otri, meanwhile, reiterated the necessity of fighting the waste and rationalizing expenditures as well as eradicating corruption in various sectors.

    Damascus has been facing mounting international pressure following an interim UN report by chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis on Oct. 20, which said there was "converging evidence" of Syrian and Lebanese involvement in the killing of Hariri in a carbomb blast in Beirut on Feb. 14.

    Syria has denied any involvement and dismissed the report as politically motivated, but it has promised to fully cooperate withthe international investigation. Enditem