FAIR PROBE IN HARIRI'S KILLING

   Reviewing the latest situation in Lebanon and Syria, the Gulf Arab alliance has urged for fair investigation into Hariri's killing while expressing keenness to maintain stability and sovereignty in both neighboring countries.

   The GCC denounced the killing of Hariri and a series of assassinations of anti-Syria Lebanese figures and at the same time voiced satisfaction at Syria's acceptance to cooperate with the United Nations in the probe of Hariri's death.

   The alliance, however, avoided publicly urging Damascus in the final declaration to further cooperate with the UN investigation team, which implicated Syria's 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, 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 car bomb blast on Feb. 14, was a 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.

   UNITED NEW IRAQI GOV'T

   GCC countries also expressed hope that the new full-term Iraqi government, to be formed after the recent Iraqi parliamentary elections, can group all key communities in Iraq and help restore stability in the violence-plagued country.

   The alliance hoped that the Iraqi parliamentary elections held on Dec. 15 would help safeguard territorial integrity and stability of the country and help it run its own affairs, according to the final statement.

   The Sunni-dominated GCC countries also urged the Iraqi people to resort to dialogues to reach a comprehensive national reconciliation that "constitutes the main safety valve for the unity, stability and sovereignty of Iraq."

   The situation in Iraq, plagued by almost daily violence, has drawn great attention from the Sunni-dominated GCC, which are concerned about the close relations between Iraqi Shiites, dominating the interim government and expected to remain the largest bloc in the new parliament, and the Shiite-dominated Iran.

   The bloc was also eager to see the Sunnis, sidelined in January elections to choose an interim legislature, would be brought back to Iraq's political mainstream and a new, balanced Iraqi government so as to end violence in the country and restore regional stability.

   In addition, the GCC extended support to the Palestinians in their pursuit of an independent state alongside Israel.

   On internal affairs of the region, the GCC decided at the summit to extend the transition period of the bloc's customs union by two years to the end of 2007 and vowed to reform education and strengthen security cooperation in the fighting against terrorism and Islamic extremism.

   Founded in 1981, the GCC has been striving to achieve wide-ranging cooperation among member states in face of internal and international challenges. Enditem