ABU DHABI, Dec. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The six Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) countries, at the end of their two-day summit, urged here Monday for fair investigation into the killing of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik al-Hariri.

    Reviewing the latest situation in Lebanon and Syria, the GCC also denounced the killing of Hariri and a series of assassinations of anti-Syria Lebanese figures in a final declaration that came at the end of the summit.

    The Gulf Arab leaders voiced "keenness to maintain the political, security and economic stability of Lebanon and satisfaction over Syria's welcome of the United Nations'investigation into Hariri's death."

    The alliance, however, avoided publicly urging Damascus in the summit's final declaration to further cooperate with the UN investigation team, which implicated Damascus' involvement in Hariri's killing and accused it of failing to provide full and timely cooperation.

    But GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman al-Attiya told a news conference after the summit that the alliance was ready to offer assistance necessary to bring about stability and security to both Lebanon and Syria.

    He added that the GCC has been contacting "senior officials"concerning Hariri's killing and other recent assassinations in Lebanon, without specifying nor giving further details.

    Well-informed sources said GCC countries, eager to defuse the rising tensions caused by Hariri's killing, would try to exert more efforts to urge Damascus to continue cooperating with the UN to avoid more unrest in the region already troubled by violence in Iraq.

    Saudi Arabia, a key member of the GCC, has played a significant role in persuading Syria to cooperate with the UN inquiry.

    Hariri, who was killed in a massive Feb. 14 car bomb blast, wasa close ally of the Saudi royal family. The killing led to large-scale anti-Syria protests in Lebanon and eventually the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April.

    A latest UN report released early this week said Syria's cooperation with the international investigation into Hariri's killing was slow-paced and that five Syrian officials questioned by the UN in Vienna were suspects.

    The report came shortly after a car bomb killed Lebanese newspaper magnate and anti-Syrian legislator Gebran Tueni in Beirut.

    The UN Security Council then demanded Damascus to offer fulland all necessary cooperation with the international probe.

    Syria denies any role in the attacks and dismissed the UN charge of slow cooperation as "inaccurate."

    In addition, the GCC condemned "Israel's repeated attacks on Lebanon's sovereignty and independence", said the declaration,referring to Israeli airstrikes on south Lebanon and clashes between Lebanon's Hizbollah and Israeli forces.

    Israel ended its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon in May 2000, but has frequently mounted attacks on Hizbollah targets inthe region with sometimes intensified clashes between Hizbollah militants and Israeli forces along the border.

    Founded in May 1981, the GCC is a key regional political and economic alliance, which strives to unite fronts in dealing with internal and international challenges. Enditem