WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (Xinhuanet)-- The United States on Thursday described as "appalling" Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's speech proclaiming his country's innocence in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

    "We saw the speech. We think it's appalling," said State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said at a news briefing.

    The UN Security Council adopted three resolutions concerning Syria. The latest Resolution 1636 calls for Damascus's complete cooperation with the assassination probe led by German magistrate Detlev Mehlis.

    "Assad's remarks today can only be seen as a defiance of those resolutions," Ereli said.

    "Let's remember, first of all, that the international community has made it clear to Syria that it must first fully cooperate with the Mehlis investigation and, second, cease all interference in Lebanese domestic affairs," he said.

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledged on Thursday to fully cooperate with the UN probe into the killing of Hariri, but said that he is almost sure that Syria is innocent in the case.

    "We are ready to cooperate within a framework that will lead touncovering the crime ... But we will not go toward killing ourselves under pressure," Assad said, stressing "I always said Syria is innocent."

    "I say we are very close to the absolute truth that we are innocent ... Syria is not implicated as a country or as an individual," he added. Enditem