DAMASCUS, Nov. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Syria has invited chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis to Damascus to discuss cooperation in the probe into the killing of Lebanese former prime minister Rafik Hariri, the official SANA news agency reported on Wednesday.

    Head of the Syrian special judicial committee on Hariri's killing Ghada Murad sent the invitation to Mehlis, currently in Lebanon on his work, on Tuesday, reported SANA.

    Murad reasserted her panel's willingness to fully cooperate and coordinate with Mehlis in order to reach truth of the murder.

    "As we hope that you would agree on the visit...we propose in this regard the signing of a memorandum of understanding with your committee to achieve the desired cooperation," Murad was quoted as saying.

    Mehlis made a request through the United Nations to the Syrian government that he wants to question six Syrian officials in Lebanon.

    President Assad's brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, head of Syria's military intelligence, was reportedly on the list that Mehlis intended to question.

    The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1636 on Oct. 31, demanding Syria cooperate fully with the UN probe in Hariri's killing, or face possible "further action".

    An interim report presented by Mehlis on Oct. 20 implicated Syrian and Lebanese officials 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 cooperate with the probe. Enditem